Staff behavior toward children and adolescents in a residential facility: A self-report questionnaire

The purpose of the present study was to examine psychometric properties of the Staff Behavior toward Clients questionnaire (SBC), a self-report measure for care staff working with children and adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities in residential care. Ninetynine care staff completed the SBC and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for 99 of their clients. Factor analysis revealed four factors (i.e. behavior regulation, client-directed care, teaching and empowerment). Results indicated excellent internal consistency of all factors and ability of the SBC to detect differences in client populations with respect to behavior problems. These data suggest that the SBC could provide a reliable and valid measure of staff behavior toward clients in residential facilities.

► We examine psychometric properties of the Staff Behavior toward Clients self-report.
► We identify four factors which represent different staff behavior types.
► Internal consistency of all factors of the SBC is excellent.
► The SBC detects differences in clients with respect to behavior problems.
► The SBC could provide a reliable and valid measure of staff behavior.