The Norwegian version of the scale to assess the therapeutic relationship (N-STAR) in community mental health care: Development and pilot study
Original version
Geirdal, A.Ø., Nerdrum, P., Aasgaard, T., Misund, A.R. & Bonsaksen, T. (2015). The Norwegian version of the scale to assess the therapeutic relationship (N-STAR) in community mental health care: Development and pilot study. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 22(5), 217-224. doi: 10.12968/ijtr.2015.22.5.217 http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2015.22.5.217Abstract
Background/Aims: Psychotherapy research has continually placed emphasis on the role of the
therapeutic relationship. The current provision of mental health care, however, is often carried out in a
variety of contexts and involves a range of health professionals. Measures for assessing the therapeutic
relationship provided in community settings by multidisciplinary mental health teams is therefore
required. The aim of this study was to describe the development of the Norwegian version of the Scale
To Assess the therapeutic Relationship (N‑STAR) and to examine its reliability.
Methods: A pilot study was conducted with clients with mental health issues (n=29) and mental
health practitioners (n=29). Participants were recruited from a Norwegian community mental health
setting and asked to complete the N‑STAR. Data were analysed using T‑tests, Cronbach’s alpha, the
Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Results: The internal consistency of the N‑STAR total scale was good, whereas the subscales showed
acceptable to questionable internal consistencies. There was a significant association between the
total scores of clients and therapists (r = 0.42, p = 0.02), and the consistency in agreement between the
clients’ and the therapists’ scores was good (ICC= 0.57, p = 0.02).
Conclusion: The N‑STAR total scale showed promising results in terms of its internal consistency
and level of client‑therapist agreement. Further research is needed to evaluate N-STAR measurement
properties in larger samples in order to establish this method as a way of assessing and monitoring the
therapeutic relationship in community mental health settings in Norway