Psychometric properties of the measure of achieved capabilities in homeless services

BMC Public Health

Research

Beatrice Sacchetto¹  Jose Ornelas¹  Maria J. Vargas Moniz¹  Rachel M. Manning²  Ronni Michelle Greenwood³  Branagh R. O’Shaughnessy⁴ 

[1] Applied Psychology Research Center, ISPA University Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal;Birmingham Community Healthcare, NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK;Psychology Department, University of Limerick IRELAND, Limerick, Ireland;School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland;

关键词: Capabilities approach;    Housing First;    Homelessness;    Recovery;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-022-14755-9

 received in 2022-06-23, accepted in 2022-11-28,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPurposeful participation in personally meaningful life tasks, enjoyment of positive reciprocal relationships, and opportunities to realize one’s potential are growth-related aspects of a meaningful life that should be considered important dimensions of recovery from homelessness. The extent to which homeless services support individuals to achieve the capabilities they need to become who they want to be and do what they want to do is, in turn, an important indicator of their effectiveness. In this study, we developed a measure of achieved capabilities (MACHS) for use in homeless services settings, and assessed its construct and concurrent validity.MethodsWe analysed data collected from homeless services users at two time points in eight European countries to assess the factor structure and psychometric properties of the new measure. Participants were adults engaged with either Housing First (n = 245) or treatment as usual (n = 320).ResultsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a four-factor structure of the capabilities measure: community integration, optimism, safety, and self-determination. We obtained evidence for construct validity through observed correlations between achieved capabilities and recovery, working alliance and satisfaction with services. Moreover, we obtained evidence of the measure’s concurrent validity from its positive association between HF and personal recovery, which was fully mediated by achieved capabilities.ConclusionsFindings demonstrate that the MACHS is a valid and reliable measure that may be used to assess the extent to which homeless services support their clients to develop capabilities needed for growth-related recovery. Implications for practice and future research directions are discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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