Measurements, instruments, scales, and tests - The Helping Alliance Questionnaire: Psychometric properties in patients with substance dependence

Psychometric properties of the Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ) are ana lyzed in a population of 340 substance-dependent patients of an addiction c linic in the Netherlands. Factor analysis yields a two-factor structure: Co operation and Helpfulness. The scales show fair correlations with three out of seven scales from the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory. Length of Stay in Deter is predicted by scores on the Helpfulness scale and noncompl iance by scores on the Cooperation scale. Besides this, intermediate outcom e measures are correlated with HAQ scores. The HAQ seems to be a "quick sca n" instrument to give a quick and global impression of the patients' percep tion of the quality of the working alliance with the therapist.