Validation of the Implementation Climate Scale (ICS) in a Community-Based Learning Collaborative.

Implementation climate is a key determinant of successful adoption (Ehrhart et al. in Evid Based Nurs 18(2):85–92, https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12500 , 2014). Previous studies examined the Implementation Climate Scale (ICS) across diverse contexts, with mixed findings on its factor structure, particularly concerning the Rewards for EBP subscale (Ehrhart et al. in Child Abuse Neglect 53:17–26, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.10.017 , 2016, Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 14(1):35, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-019-0222-52019 , 2019, Peters et al. in BMC Health Serv 22(1):1–11, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07441-w , 2022, Lyon et al.in Implement Sci 13:1–14, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0705-6 , 2018; Engell et al. in Child Youth Serv Rev 119:105509, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105509 , 2020). This study replicated and extended prior research by evaluating the psychometric properties of the ICS in a sample of 255 participants in a community-based learning collaborative that trained providers in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma-Focused Case Management. Confirmatory factor analyses assessed the original six-factor structure, a five-factor model omitting the Rewards for EBPs subscale, and second-order latent factor models. Both six- and five-factor models demonstrated acceptable fit; however, the five-factor model was selected due to the Rewards subscale’s poor endorsement, weak correlations, and limited relevance in community mental health settings. A chi-square difference test between the five-factor first- and second-order models revealed no significant difference in fit (χ2diff(5) = 11.01, p > .05), supporting the use of the five-factor second-order structure given comparable fit and the theoretical advantage of an ICS total score. These findings validate the use of the ICS in community mental health settings across provider types and suggest that omitting the Rewards subscale may improve applicability and interpretability, particularly in resource-limited environments. Future research should further explore alternative incentive structures in resource-limited contexts and examine the impact of policy and financial incentives on the perceived relevance of the Rewards subscale.