Developing a psychoeducational risk assessment instrument for community intervention projects: The IARPS-CJ

Abstract

This paper presents the development and initial data obtained with the IARPS-CJ, a staff-report instrument assessing psychoeducational risk among children and youth. The goal of developing the instrument was to provide a national program intervening in vulnerable communities in Portugal with a universal assessment tool allowing for individual and community-level risk assessment. The IARPS-CJ was constructed with the participation of a group of local intervention teams, and covers the major areas identified in the literature. It is composed of 53 items, each with 3 response options, corresponding to low, intermediate and high risk. Data were collected nationwide (N = 904). Factor analyses identified behaviour, family, school, community, and substance abuse/criminal involvement domains, which were reflected in the scoring procedures. Internal consistency and predictive validity were adequate. Although a lot more research is needed, the IARPS-CJ shows very good qualities, and might become a model for similar instruments in other contexts.