Validity and Reliability of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-Japanese Version

Abstract

To identify students who are struggling with mental distress and provide them with early and appropriate support, a valid and reliable multidimensional measure is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent validity and the test–retest reliability of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-Japanese (CCAPS-Japanese). For the validity examination, 1,627 undergraduate students were randomized into five groups. Each group completed one of five questionnaires, comprised of the CCAPS-Japanese along with one, two, or three validation scales depending on the group. For the reliability examination, a total of 184 and 106 students completed the CCAPS-Japanese at one-week and two-week intervals, respectively. In the validity study, the highest correlation for each CCAPS-Japanese subscale was found to exist with its referent measure except for the Generalized Anxiety subscale. In the reliability study, correlations for subscale scores at test and retest were significant, ranging from.66 to.88. These findings suggest that the 55-item CCAPS-Japanese is applicable for use with Japanese university students.