The development of the child and adolescent versions of the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (CAMHSSS)

Background There is a shortage of comprehensive and validated instruments to measure satisfaction with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This study chose the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS as a template for the development of a new CAMHS Satisfaction Scale (CAMHSSS). Method The new questionnaires were developed by involving service users and members of the multidisciplinary team in several stages. The psychometric qualities of the 39-item draft were tested on a random sample. Results A total of 56 adolescents and 104 parents participated in the study. The acceptability of the questionnaires was excellent, and internal consistency was high. Test-retest reliability was between substantial to moderate for individual items, and high for the seven dimension and the final versions of the scale. The questionnaires differentiated well between satisfied and dissatisfied service users. Conclusions Two versions were generated to measure service satisfaction among outpatients (CAMHSSS-39 and 20) and one for inpatients and day-patients (CAMHSSS-Unit). All have good psychometric properties and can be recommended for future studies