Residential Timeline Follow-Back

Instrument name: Residential Timeline Follow-Back Calendar (version date: 9.28.00)

To obtain the original instrument click here

Citation: New Hampshire Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. (1995). Residential follow-back calendar. Lebanon, NH: Dartmouth Medical School.

Purpose: To assess the residence history of homeless adults with mental illness since the previous interview.

Population: Homeless adults with mental illness

Publication date(s): 1995, 2000

Domain: Housing history

Administration: Semi-structured interview

Reliability and validity information: Test-retest reliability (.80 to .91); validity assessed by associations between agency and self-reports (.84 to .92) (see Greenwood RM et al. [2005]. Decreasing psychiatric symptoms by increasing choice in services for adults with histories of homelessness. American Journal of Community Psychology, 36, 3/4, 223-238.

Item description/response options: The Residential TLFB Calendar assesses a person's pattern of residences, moves, hospital/prison stays, and homelessness for up to 12 months. In addition to the calendar form, there are additional pages where more details are obtained once the basic information is captured on the calendar.

History of instrument: This instrument has been used widely to assess residential history. See, for example, Banks et al (2002). New Dir for Eval; Clark & Rich (2003). Psychia Serv; Conrad et al. (2001). Mental Health Serv Res; Conrad et al. (2006). Psychia Serv; Greenwood et al. (2005). Am J Comm Psych;  Gulcur et al.  (2003). J Comm & App Soc Psych; Morgenstern et al. (2003). J Stu Alc; Siegel et al. (2006). Psychia Serv;   Tsemberis et al. (2004). AJPH; Tsemberis et al. (2007). J Comm Psych.

* Adapted from the Barrow et al. (1984). Personal History Form. New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute, Community Support Systems Program, Epidemiology of Mental Disorders Research Department.