Examining the Utility of a Child-Report Measure of Behaviour and Parenting With Very Young Children

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Introduction
Studies examining the effects of parenting on child psychopathology are largely restricted to reports of child behaviour rated solely by parents. This approach can be problematic as parent-reports may be confounded by reporting bias. The use of play-based methods that accommodate for differences in language, cognition, and attention can allow children to report on their own behaviour and experiences. Children are uniquely placed to offer insight into their conduct across settings, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of outcomes. However, the use of such measures in large-scale samples of very young children (under 5 years) is limited.
Hypothesis
This study aimed to test the utility and psychometric properties of a story stem measure in a sample of young children at risk for externalising behaviour problems. The study also sought to examine whether parental sensitivity, measured when children were 1-3 years, predicted children’s representations of their own behaviour and parenting at 3-5 years old.
Sample
This study uses data collected as part of the Healthy Start, Happy Start study, a large-scale randomised controlled trial aiming to test the effectiveness of a brief home-based parenting intervention in reducing behaviour problems in an at-risk sample. Three hundred families with one and two-year-old children (M = 23 months; SD = 6.6 months) were recruited, with slightly more male (54%) than female children participating. The story stem measure was administered at the two-year follow-up assessment (N=282; 94% retention).
Method
The story stem tool was adapted from two existing measures: the MacArthur Story Stem Battery and the Doll’s House Play measure. The researcher uses dolls representing the child, family members, and peers to deliver three ‘story beginnings’ (the stem). In each, the doll representing the child is placed in a situation of distress or conflict. The child is then invited to complete the story through play and narration. The children’s responses were videotaped to allow for coding. Of particular interest were key narrative themes including disruptive behaviours (aggressive, bullying, and destructive behaviours), narrative coherence, and children’s self-regulation during story completion. To measure concurrent validity, parent-reported child behaviour was assessed at the same time-point using the Child Behaviour Checklist (Achenbach, 1999) and a structured, researcher-led interview (Preschool Parental Account of Children’s Symptoms; Taylor et al., 1991). Allowing for the examination of associations with early parenting, the Erickson Scales (Erickson, Stroufe, & Egeland, 1985) of parental sensitivity were applied to parent-child free-play interactions.
Data analysis
Inter-rater reliability between coders, blind to group allocation, was ‘excellent’ (ICC: .813-.998). Coding of parental sensitivity and children’s responses to the story stems (N = 261) is now fully complete and data analysis will be completed shortly. The validity of the story stem measure will be explored using concurrently recorded researcher-led interview and parent-reported questionnaire measures of child behaviour and parenting. Effects of early parenting on children’s representations of their behaviour will also be presented. These results will be instructive regarding the utility of the measure for future research, while improving our understanding of young children as informants of their own behaviour.

Group Authors

Healthy Start, Happy Start team

Authors

• Beth Barker, University of Cambridge
  Presenting Author

• Christine M O'Farrelly, University of Cambridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Paul Ramchandani, University of Cambridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine Hatcher, University of Cambridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Wei Luo, University of Cambridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yanwen Wu, University of Cambridge
  Non-Presenting Author