| Description |
The Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45), a 45-item self-report measure of psychological distress, was examined for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity in a sample of adults age 60 years and older. Sixty-six community volunteers recruited from local educational and community service workshops participated in the study that included filling out the OQ-45. Of these 66 volunteers, 34 (57%) completed a second OQ-45 by mail approximately three weeks after the first administration. Measures of depression (Geriatric Depression Scale), anxiety (Geriatric Anxiety Inventory) and general functioning (Short Form-12) were obtained at the first administration and OQ-45 scores were correlated with these measures. The OQ-45 internal consistency estimates were consistent with estimates found in younger adults, though some problematic items were identified. Test-retest analysis showed scores remained relatively stable between administrations. An existing database of 611 older persons who had received treatment in a community mental health setting was used as a contrast to the 66 healthy volunteers. OQ-45 scores from the volunteer community were significantly lower than those collected from the existing database. Implications for these findings for clinical use and for future research are discussed, including recommendations for improving the design of the OQ-45 for older adult groups. |
