Outcome Questionnaire: Is It Sensitive to Changes in Counseling Center Clients?

TLDR

The study evaluated the sensitivity to change of the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ) items, subscales, and total score among clients receiving personal counseling in university counseling center settings. The authors aimed to assess the OQ’s sensitivity to change and to explore its potential revision for optimal use in counseling center settings, with implications for outcome test development. Data from 5,801 university students—248 untreated and 5,553 treated by 527 therapists across 40 counseling centers—were analyzed to assess OQ sensitivity. The analysis found that the OQ total score, all subscales, and 34 of 45 items met two criteria for change sensitivity, supporting its use as an outcome index, while 11 items failed due to interpersonal, physical symptom, or floor‑effect issues, suggesting possible revisions and broader implications for outcome test development.

Abstract

Sensitivity to change of the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ; M. J. Lambert et al., 1996) items, subscales, and total score was evaluated for clients receiving personal counseling in university counseling center settings. OQ data collected for 248 university students who did not receive treatment and 5,553 students who received treatment from 527 therapists employed in 40 university counseling centers nationwide were included in the analyses. Comparisons between the treated and untreated groups indicated that the OQ total score, all of the subscales, and 34 of the 45 items met 2 preset criteria for change sensitivity, providing support for the OQ as an appropriate index of outcome in counseling center clients. The 11 OQ items that failed to demonstrate change sensitivity were aimed at assessing aspects of interpersonal functioning, related to specific physical symptoms, or were susceptible to floor effects. The possibility of using change sensitivity results in revising the OQ for optimal use in counseling center settings is addressed, and general implications for outcome test development are discussed.