Program Evaluation & Outcomes Flashcards
7 cards from real AAS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Program Evaluation & Outcomes flashcards as text
An evaluator uses the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) as an outcome measure pre- and post-intervention. Which psychometric property is MOST critical to verify before using it in this way?
Answer: Test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change
To detect change over time, an instrument must be reliable and sensitive to genuine change (responsiveness), not just stable.
Cost-effectiveness analysis in suicide prevention compares program costs against:
Answer: Outcomes achieved per unit of cost
Cost-effectiveness analysis expresses program costs relative to a defined unit of outcome, such as cost per suicide attempt prevented.
Which evaluation approach is MOST aligned with community-based participatory research principles in suicide prevention?
Answer: Engaging community members as co-investigators in study design and interpretation
CBPR involves community members as equal partners throughout the evaluation process, increasing cultural relevance and buy-in.
Dosage in program evaluation refers to:
Answer: The amount of the intervention participants actually receive
Dosage measures how much of the intended intervention each participant received, which affects interpretation of outcomes.
A zero-suicide initiative hospital reports a 40% reduction in inpatient suicides. The most significant threat to the internal validity of this finding is:
Answer: Regression to the mean, especially if the initiative followed an unusually high-rate period
If the program was implemented after an abnormally high-rate period, regression to the mean—not the intervention—may explain the decrease.
Summative evaluation differs from formative evaluation in that summative evaluation is primarily used to:
Answer: Judge overall program worth or effectiveness after implementation
Summative evaluation assesses final outcomes and program merit, while formative evaluation supports ongoing program improvement.
When a suicide prevention program serves multiple cultural communities, which evaluation adaptation is MOST important?
Answer: Using culturally validated instruments and community-specific norms
Instruments must be validated for each cultural group and interpreted against culturally relevant norms to avoid biased conclusions.