Initial Validation of the Psychopharmacology in Clinical Practice Inventory

Background and Purpose: Research currently indicates social workers do not have sufficient knowledge of psychotropic medications.  In fact, most clinical track MSW programs do not expose students to the practice area specific to psychotropic medications, yet existing literature supports the integration of social workers’ roles related to psychotropic medication management in clinical practice. However, research on social workers’ competency and confidence regarding their ability to incorporate psychotropic medication knowledge in clinical practice is lacking. Recognizing a gap in the current literature examining such perceptions, the Psychopharmacology in Clinical Practice Inventory (PCPI) was developed to capture information related to the way clinical social workers perceive themselves when working with clients either taking, have taken, or contemplating taking psychotropic medications to treat a Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) diagnosis. The PCPI was hypothesized to measure practitioners’ self-efficacy related to incorporating psychotropic medication knowledge into clinical practice across two domains that measure the constructs confidence and competence, respectively. This study details the development and initial validation of the PCPI.

Methods: Data were collected using a purposive, non-probability sampling method using members of the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling during the first three months of 2015. Prospective participants were sent an invitation e-mail, which included a brief introduction to the researcher, an overview of the study, and a link to the web-based PCPI. Participation invitations were sent to 21,745 clinicians of whom 1,195 completed the survey.

As part of this validation process an expert panel was utilized, prior to survey deployment, to assess content validation. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on these data to identify a reliable factor structure. In addition, missing value analysis, reliability analyses, and construct validation were conducted on these data.

Results: The hypothesized Global PCPI was not supported, however data analyses, did support splitting the PCPI up into two distinct scales, the PCPI-Confidence and the PCPI-Competence. The four-factor PCPI-Confidence model produced a RMSEA = .079, CFI = .921, TLI = .910, SRMR = .045, and a χ²/df ratio of 5.56. The three-factor PCPI-Competence produced a RMSEA = .097, CFI = .929, TLI = .915, SRMR = .046, and a χ²/dfratio of 5.56. The Cronbach’s alpha for the PCPI-Confidence scale is .95; the Cronbach’s alpha for the PCPI-Competence scale is .96.

Conclusion and Implications: Based on this initial validation study, preliminary evidence indicates the PCPI-Confidence and PCPI-Competence are reliable and valid instruments that can be used to measure clinical social workers perceptions of their confidence and competence when working with clients either taking, have taken, or contemplating taking psychotropic medications to treat a Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) diagnosis.  In a changing treatment environment where the use of psychopharmacology to treat mental health issues has increased, practitioners’ ability to address these practice issues is crucial. The PCPI-Confidence and the PCPI-Competence can potentially be used to determine practitioners’ perceptions of their ability to engage in and address medication-related concerns.