Comparisons of Perceptions of the Environments of Adolescent Drug Treatment Residential and Outpatient Programs by Staff versus Clients and by Sex of Staff and Clients

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Abstract
The Moos Community Oriented Program Environment Scale (COPES) was administered to 482 adolescent clients and 291 drug counselors in 30 outpatient and 27 residential drug treatment programs. Both clients and staff of residential programs were found to rate their programs more positively than did clients and staff of outpatient programs in the following specific ways: (1) "encourage and provide more support"; (2) "provide more practical help," such as training; (3) "more concern with clients'' personal problems"; and (4) "encourage clients to argue, express anger, and display aggressive behavior." The only COPES factor on which the outpatient programs were perceived as superior to residental programs was "spontaneity" ("The program encourages clients to act openly and to express their feelings openly"). Across both types of programs, staff perceived the programs significantly more positively than did clients. The male staff ratings was the most positively than did clients. The male staff ratings was the most positive of the ratings of the four subgroups. Female clients rated the program environments more positively than did male clients, but female staff did not rate the program environments more positively relative to male staff. Since the female staff ratings tend to be somewhat more similar to the ratings of the clients, both male and female, than did the male staff ratings, it might seem reasonable to hypothesize that the female staff ratings are more valid than the male staff ratings.

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