Measuring child-rearing goals for parents with young children: A scoping review

This scoping review summarizes and consolidates the parenting goals for young children captured in existing parent-report measures, and the characteristics of studies that employed them. Five electronic databases were systematically searched to identify original studies that used a self-report measure for parenting goals during the child's first 5 years. Characteristics of the parenting goals measures and the studies that employed them were extracted and synthesized. A deductive approach was used to reduce the parenting goals items across instruments into representative domains. Fourteen original parenting goals measures and their modifications (i.e., 24 unique measures in total) were identified in 44 research articles from 41 original studies. Items from these measures were synthesized into 33 representative domains. Findings will inform the direction of future research and the development of a comprehensive measure of parenting goals for parents with young children that can be applied across cultures, economic backgrounds, informants, and parenting contexts.

Community perspectives on developmental screening of American Indian and Alaska Native children

Children are highly regarded and treasured as the future of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. Developmental disorders, however, are more frequently undiagnosed and untreated in AIAN children compared to others in the United States. Developmental screening can help communities ensure that their children reach their full potential, but lack of culturally sensitive and valid screening measures complicates screening among AIAN children. This can, in turn, delay access to early intervention and undermine the ability of AIAN communities to support children's optimal development. This study explored families' and professionals' perceptions of screening systems and processes in AIAN communities and to identify gaps and opportunities. A total of 53 interviews and 23 focus groups were conducted with 157 parents and early childcare professionals in four AIAN communities. A conceptual framework to describe systems of screening for young children was developed by AIAN early childhood program partners and early childhood researchers working together on a Tribal Early Childhood Research Center Community of Learning; this framework guided study design and interview guides. Transcripts were coded for themes in alignment with the conceptual framework; 13 key themes and 81 subthemes were identified. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for enhancing screening efforts in Tribal communities.

Using decision science to evaluate global biodiversity indices

Global biodiversity indices are used to measure environmental change and progress toward conservation goals, yet few indices have been evaluated comprehensively for their capacity to detect trends of interest, such as declines in threatened species or ecosystem function. Using a structured approach based on decision science, we qualitatively evaluated 9 indices commonly used to track biodiversity at global and regional scales against 5 criteria relating to objectives, design, behavior, incorporation of uncertainty, and constraints (e.g., costs and data availability). Evaluation was based on reference literature for indices available at the time of assessment. We identified 4 key gaps in indices assessed: pathways to achieving goals (means objectives) were not always clear or relevant to desired outcomes (fundamental objectives); index testing and understanding of expected behavior was often lacking; uncertainty was seldom acknowledged or accounted for; and costs of implementation were seldom considered. These gaps may render indices inadequate in certain decision-making contexts and are problematic for indices linked with biodiversity targets and sustainability goals. Ensuring that index objectives are clear and their design is underpinned by a model of relevant processes are crucial in addressing the gaps identified by our assessment. Uptake and productive use of indices will be improved if index performance is tested rigorously and assumptions and uncertainties are clearly communicated to end users. This will increase index accuracy and value in tracking biodiversity change and supporting national and global policy decisions, such as the post-2020 global biodiversity framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Tools for assessing the psychometric adequacy of latent variables in conservation research

Conservation psychology has a history of measuring variables that cannot be seen (e.g., values, attitudes, norms). Such latent variables are critical drivers of human action and are often measured using responses to survey questions. Tools for establishing the psychometric adequacy of unobservable, latent variables has been a century-long pursuit and challenge for quantitative psychologists and statisticians. Fundamental questions at the heart of this challenge include is what is claimed to be measured (validity) being measured and is measurement consistent (reliability)? We examined common methods used to establish the validity and reliability of psychometric instruments. Through a case study of anglers in Texas, we investigated the protocols and metrics used to evaluate the measurement of latent variables. The indicators we tested (identity, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and personal norms) validly and reliably assessed latent variables. Our findings also illustrated decision protocols (e.g., discriminant validity, convergent validity, internal consistency) involved in assessing the psychometric adequacy of latent variable indicators. The ability to correctly identify significant relationships among unobserved variables and their influence on human action is directly tied to the adequacy of measurement. In an era of instability and change that threatens social-ecological systems worldwide, the need for accuracy and precision in conservation social science has never been greater. Research that employs flawed measures has potential to lead to erroneous conclusions and undermine conservation and biodiversity protection.

The Experience in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire (EXIS.pers): Development and Psychometric Properties

This study presents the theoretical background, development, and psychometric properties of the German and English versions of the Experience in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire (EXIS.pers). It assesses how the members of a personal social system experience their situation within that system. It is designed as a research tool for interventions in which only one member of the system participates (e.g., Family Constellation Seminars). The EXIS.pers was created to measure change on the individual level relating to one's own important personal social system. In Study 1, we used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for latent variable identification of the original German EXIS.pers (n = 179). In Studies 2 and 3, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the dimensionality of the German (n = 634) and English (n = 310) EXIS.pers. Internal consistencies and cross-cultural structural equivalence were assessed. EFA indicated that a four-factor model provided best fit for the German EXIS.pers. For both the German and English EXIS.pers, CFA provided the best fit for a five-factor bi-level model that included a general factor (Experience In Personal Social Systems) and four dimensions (Belonging, Autonomy, Accord, Confidence). Good internal consistencies, external associations, and cross-cultural structural equivalence were demonstrated. This study provides first evidence for the German and English EXIS.pers as an economical and reliable measure of an individual's experience within his or her personal social systems.

The Paediatric Admission Quality of Care (PAQC) score: designing a tool to measure the quality of early inpatient paediatric care in a low-income setting

Background

Evaluating clinician compliance with recommended steps in clinical guidelines provides one measure of quality of process of care but can result in a multiplicity of indicators across illnesses, making it problematic to produce any summative picture of process quality, information that may be most useful to policy‐makers and managers.

Objective

We set out to develop a clinically logical summative measure of the quality of care provided to children admitted to hospital in Kenya spanning the three diagnoses present in 60% or more of admissions that would provide a patient‐level measure of quality of care in the face of comorbidity.

Methods

We developed a conceptual model of care based on three domains: assessment, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. Individual items within domains correspond to recommended processes of care within national clinical practice guidelines. Summative scores were created to reduce redundancy and enable aggregation across illnesses while maintaining a clear link to clinical domains and our conceptual model. The potential application of the score was explored using data from more than 12 000 children from eight hospitals included in a prior intervention study in Kenya.

Results

Summative scores obtained from items representing discrete clinical decision points reduced redundancy, aided balance of score contribution across domains and enabled direct comparison of disease‐specific scores and the calculation of scores for children with comorbidity.

Conclusion

This work describes the development of a summative Paediatric Admission Quality of Care score measured at the patient level that spans three common diseases. The score may be an efficient tool for assessing quality with an ability to adjust for case mix or other patient‐level factors if needed. The score principles may have applicability to multiple illnesses and settings. Future analysis will be needed to validate the score.