Psychometric Properties of an Instrument Derived from the Intentional Relationship Model: The Self-Efficacy for Recognizing Clients’ Interpersonal Characteristics (N-SERIC)

Abstract

Background: The Intentional Relationship Model conceptualizes the therapeutic use of self in occupational therapy. To increase motivation for and success in establishing therapeutic relationships, therapists need self-efficacy for using the self in therapeutic practice. However, attempts to combine this model with self-efficacy theory are rare, and instruments by which to measure self-efficacy for therapeutic use of self are in a developing stage. This study aimed to examine the factor structure and internal consistency of the Norwegian Self-Efficacy for Recognizing Interpersonal Characteristics (N-SERIC). Methods: Occupational therapy students (n = 100) from two education programs completed the instrument and sociodemographic information. The factor structure was examined with Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's α and inter-item correlations. Results: The PCA revealed that all N-SERIC items belonged to the same latent factor, with factor loadings ranging between 0.75 and 0.89. The internal consistency of the scale items was high (Cronbach's α = 0.96). Conclusions: The N-SERIC scale is unidimensional and the items have very high internal consistency. Thus, the scale sum score can be useful for occupational therapy research and audits focusing on interpersonal aspects of practice. Comments The authors disclose no conflicts of interest.

The Course of Self-Efficacy for Therapeutic Use of Self in Norwegian Occupational Therapy Students: A 10-Month Follow-Up Study

“…Part II asks respondents to rate their level of confidence that they have the required skills to recognize client's interpersonal characteristics in therapeutic encounters. This scale, the self-efficacy for recognizing interpersonal characteristics (N-SERIC; [ 6 ]), was also found to have a one-factor structure (factor loadings between 0.75 and 0.89) with very high internal consistency between its twelve items (Cronbach's α = 0.96). Part III asks respondents to rate their level of confidence that they have the required skills to manage the interpersonal challenges that may occur in therapeutic encounters.…”

“…The longitudinal design and the use of participants from two different universities are strengths of the study. In addition, the employed measures have shown good psychometric properties in recent validation studies [ 6 , 9 ]. However, the participants were relatively few in numbers, and they were recruited by convenience.…”

“…Self-efficacy influences how someone feels, thinks, is motivated, and behaves, and thereby it has an important contribution to self-regulation processes [ 5 ]. Applied to the work of occupational therapists, self-efficacy is needed for the therapist's performance in clinical practice, which includes establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationships with a variety of clients [ 6 , 7 ]. Essentially, the therapeutic relationship should support the client's own occupational engagement as the main agent of change [ 1 ].…”

Occupational Therapy Students’ Self-Efficacy for Therapeutic Use of Self: Development and Associated Factors

“…Good correspondence has been shown between the abstract concepts and a set of items where the concepts had been operationalized into behaviors (Ritter, Thørrisen, Yazdani, & Bonsaksen, 2017). In Part II (12 items), the self-efficacy for recognizing interpersonal characteristics scale (N-SERIC; Ritter, Yazdani, Carstensen, Thørrisen, & Bonsaksen, 2018), respondents rate their level of confidence that they have the required skills to recognize a client's interpersonal characteristics in therapeutic encounters. It possesses a one-factor structure with high internal consistency.…”

“…This is known to be a better strategy for avoiding skewed results, compared to using data from completers only. The measurements used to assess the students' self-efficacy were carefully developed and confirmed with satisfactory psychometric properties Ritter et al, 2018). However, the participants were relatively few in numbers, and they were recruited by convenience.…”