Expectations About Counseling-Brief (EAC-B) Form: Assessing its psychometric properties for use in Bangladesh
Description
This study aimed to adapt and validate the Expectations About Counseling-Brief (EAC-B) form for use in the Bangladeshi tertiary students, addressing the lack of standardized tools to measure client expectations about counseling in Bangladesh. Following multistage cross-cultural adaptation guidelines, the 53-item EAC-B was translated into Bangla and administered to a sample of tertiary-level students (N = 911). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) (n = 326) revealed a three-factor solution: Client Involvement (CI), Facilitative Conditions (FC), and Counselor Expertise (CE), consistent with most prior research. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) (n = 585) supported this solution, with the final 18-item structure demonstrating excellent fit indices (CFI = .983, TLI = .980, RMSEA = .063, SRMR = .026) and strong internal consistency (McDonald’s ω ≥ .83). Known-group validity tests showed significant differences in CI and FC based on prior counseling exposure, aligning with existing literature. Convergent validity was demonstrated by moderate to strong correlations between EAC-B factors and the Intent and Expertness factors of the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale, while discriminant validity was supported by their weak correlations with the Stigma Tolerance factor of BAPS. The study confirms the three-factor structure of the EAC-B, and provides a culturally sensitive, parsimonious tool for measuring client expectations in Bangladesh. Practical applications include tailoring treatment plans to reduce dropout rates and facilitating outcome research in underdeveloped counseling settings. Limitations, such as sampling constraints and population specificity, are discussed, along with recommendations for future research to generalize findings and validate the model in diverse contexts.
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Institutions
- University of Dhaka Faculty of Biological Sciences
- Bangladesh University of Professionals