BEHAVIOUR CHANGE Vol. 18, No. 2 2001 pp. 63–77 T he current Australian National Standards for Mental Health Services (National Mental Health Working Group, 1996) empha- sised the use of treatment procedures that are not only cost and time effective but also involve the active participation of consumers and their carers. This focus on consumer participation is also found in the United States and Great Britain, following increased pressure from gov- ernment agencies, the American Psychological Association, and managed-care organisations (Crawford & Kessel, 1999; Foster & Mash, 1999). While the outcomes of psychological treatments are routinely evaluated in terms of symptom change and adaptive functioning, the assessment of the social importance (or social validity) of treatments has not been as consis- tent. This study examines elements of social validity for a group program designed to treat anxious children and their parents. The purpose of social validity assessments is to evaluate the acceptability or viability of a programmed intervention (Schwartz & Baer, 1991). In a seminal article, Wolf (1978) encour- aged behavioural analysts to assess social valid- ity, arguing that “ ‘social importance’ was a subjective value judgement that only society was qualified to make” (pp. 206–207). Most current approaches define three elements of an intervention that can be assessed for their social validity. These are (a) the social significance of the goals of treatment, (b) the social appropri- ateness and acceptability of the treatment pro- cedures, and (c) the social importance of the effects or the outcomes produced by treatment procedures. Social validity is best thought of as a process, rather than a result or outcome, which can be assessed at several stages in the treatment process (Fawcett, 1991). Specifically, it can be evaluated at the beginning of the inter- vention, while treatment is ongoing, immedi- ately after termination, and at follow-up. Fawcett (1991) reported that the dominant form of social validity is the acceptability of (or consumer satisfaction with) treatment proce- dures. Assessments of treatment acceptability are Examining the Social Validity of the FRIENDS Treatment Program for Anxious Children Paula M. Barrett, Alison L. Shortt, Tara L. Fox, and Katrina Wescombe Griffith University This study conducted the first evaluation of elements of social validity of the FRIENDS program, a cognitive-behavioural treatment package for childhood anxiety disorders. Parents, children, and adolescents were surveyed over time on their global satisfaction with the program, the acceptability of treatment components, and the completion of homework tasks. Results indicated a high level of satisfaction with the FRIENDS program and a high comple- tion rate of homework tasks. Contrary to expectations, children rated the cognitive skills as more useful than adolescents did. Adolescents reported the behavioural strategy of graded exposure as more useful than other strategies. In addition, the relationship between treatment acceptability and clinical outcome was not significant. Limitations of the study and directions for further research are discussed. Address for correspondence: Dr Paula Barrett, School of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Health Science, Psychology Building Mt Gravatt, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia. Email: P.Barrett@mailbox.gu.edu.au 63