Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the YES Survey: An Appropriate Experience Measure for AOD
Tracks
Monarch Room - In-Person Only
| Thursday, May 28, 2026 |
| 10:15 AM - 10:35 AM |
Overview
Bethany Nixon, University Of Wollongong
Details
Three Key Learnings
The YES demonstrates robust psychometric properties in AOD contexts.
The measure is sensitive to contextual and service-level variation.
Preliminary evidence supports construct and convergent validity.
The YES demonstrates robust psychometric properties in AOD contexts.
The measure is sensitive to contextual and service-level variation.
Preliminary evidence supports construct and convergent validity.
Speaker
Mrs Bethany Nixon
Phd Candidate
University Of Wollongong
Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the YES Survey: An Appropriate Experience Measure for AOD
Abstract
Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the YES Survey: An Appropriate Experience Measure for Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Treatment Settings
Background: Capturing the lived experiences of people in alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment is critical for evaluating and improving person-centred care. The Your Experience of Service (YES) Survey is widely used across Australian health systems but has not previously been formally validated for AOD contexts. This study reports the initial psychometric evaluation of the YES Survey within a large Autsralian AOD treatment sample.
Methods: A cross-sectional dataset was collected from 354 consumers engaged in residential and community-based AOD programs. Linear mixed models (LMMs) examined variability across different subgroups. Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to assess threshold parameters, differential item functioning and identify possible item redundancy. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Convergent validity was assessed through correlations with measures of satisfaction, health care climate and other experience measures.
Results: Items demonstrated strong endorsement and minimal missingness, indicating good face acceptability. LMMs showed significant between-service variance, supporting sensitivity to contextual differences. Gender also predicted experience scores. IRT analyses indicated ordered response thresholds and strong item discrimination, particularly for domains related to Respect, Participation, and Safety. Reliability was excellent across total and domain scores (α = .92–.96). Convergent validity analyses revealed moderate-to-strong associations in the expected directions (r = .32–.58).
Conclusions: Findings provide strong preliminary evidence that the YES Survey performs reliably and meaningfully in AOD treatment contexts. Results support its use as an appropriate and sensitive Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) for AOD services and lay the foundation for further validation, including confirmatory factor analyses and short-form development.
Background: Capturing the lived experiences of people in alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment is critical for evaluating and improving person-centred care. The Your Experience of Service (YES) Survey is widely used across Australian health systems but has not previously been formally validated for AOD contexts. This study reports the initial psychometric evaluation of the YES Survey within a large Autsralian AOD treatment sample.
Methods: A cross-sectional dataset was collected from 354 consumers engaged in residential and community-based AOD programs. Linear mixed models (LMMs) examined variability across different subgroups. Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to assess threshold parameters, differential item functioning and identify possible item redundancy. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Convergent validity was assessed through correlations with measures of satisfaction, health care climate and other experience measures.
Results: Items demonstrated strong endorsement and minimal missingness, indicating good face acceptability. LMMs showed significant between-service variance, supporting sensitivity to contextual differences. Gender also predicted experience scores. IRT analyses indicated ordered response thresholds and strong item discrimination, particularly for domains related to Respect, Participation, and Safety. Reliability was excellent across total and domain scores (α = .92–.96). Convergent validity analyses revealed moderate-to-strong associations in the expected directions (r = .32–.58).
Conclusions: Findings provide strong preliminary evidence that the YES Survey performs reliably and meaningfully in AOD treatment contexts. Results support its use as an appropriate and sensitive Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) for AOD services and lay the foundation for further validation, including confirmatory factor analyses and short-form development.
Biography
With over 10 years of experience in counselling, Bethany has recently returned to university to complete her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Particular interests in experience measures and person-centredness, Bethany is the recipient of an NHRMC scholarship from the MO CRE (Centre for Research Excellence for Meaningful Outcomes in Substance Use).
