Preliminary examination of reliability and validity of the Japanese child anxiety impact scale-parent version in Japanese community sample

The child anxiety impact scale-parent version (CAIS-P) is a useful measure to assess the impact of anxiety on a child’s daily life; however, a Japanese version of the CAIS-P has not been developed, and whether the CAIS-P can be utilized in Eastern countries remains unascertained. The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the CAIS-P and examine its reliability and validity. Parents of 400 children (aged 7 to 15 years) from the Japanese community completed the CAIS-P. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the factor structure of the original CAIS-P, consisting of school activity, social activity, and home/family activity factors, provided a good fit for the Japanese version of the CAIS-P. Estimated Spearman’s correlation coefficients showed moderate correlations between the total and factor scores of the CAIS-P, anxiety symptoms (Spence Child Anxiety Scale-parent version), and depressive symptoms (Child Depression Inventory). Furthermore, the item response theory model revealed that each factor of the CAIS-P is a high information reliable measure for children with high trait anxiety. These results provide support for the Japanese version of the CAIS-P’s factorial validity, convergent validity, and reliability and its potential for application in child anxiety research in Japan.

Psychometric Properties of Nepali Translated Version of Preschool Anxiety Scale (Parent) Among Preschool Children in Nepal

Background The Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) is a 28- item measure designed to assess anxiety symptoms in pre-schoolers aged 3 to 6 years. The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Nepali translated version of the Preschool Anxiety Scale -Parent version, together with evidence on the reliability and cross-informant agreement among parents. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 680 mothers among seven conveniently selected private schools in Kathmandu. Results Age groups and gender differences across PAS scales were found statistically significant in mother’s reports. Exploratory factor analyses results suggest that the items of the PAS- Nepalese version do not reflect the five categories in anxiety in a clear way. This is particularly in separation anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsion. In confirmatory factor analysis, 28 items showed a poor fit of the five-factor original model for the data. However, removing three items (25 item version) through the five-factor model indicated a better fit. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach’s alpha for the PAS-Parent version scale was of good range (0.87). Cronbach’s alpha of the subscales: generalized anxiety (0.63), social phobia (0.67), physical injury fears (0.75), and Separation anxiety (0.63) were in fair range; while it was in poor range for the Obsessive-Compulsive subscale (0.567). Cross informant agreement on the ratings of anxiety symptoms of children by the fathers and mothers was low, as reflected by a weak positive correlation. Conclusion Nepalese version of the PAS demonstrated fair psychometric properties, supporting its utility in screening and assessing a broad range of anxiety symptoms in Nepalese pre-schoolers.

Spanish validation of the Parent version of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-P) in a clinical sample

The child version of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-C) has demonstrated good psychometric properties, but research has scarcely focused on the parent version of the questionnaire (SCAS-P). We aimed to validate the Spanish version of the SCAS-P in a clinical sample (N= 137) of children and adolescents through their parents’ responses. The Spanish version of the SCAS-P showed good internal consistency for the total scale and for most subscales (Cronbach´s alpha between .49 y .83) and excellent test-retest reliability for all subscales (r between .71 and .91). Furthermore, convergent, and divergent validity were supported by higher correlations with other measures of anxiety (r= .51), and lower correlations with measures of depression (r= .43) and externalizing problems (r= .34). For the first time in an exclusively clinical sample, the original factor structure of the SCAS-P based on six correlated factors was partially confirmed. The validation of the SCAS-P in a clinical sample provides professionals with a tool that better reflects the characteristics of their patients.

Validation of the French Version of the Child Posttraumatic Stress Checklist in French School-Aged Children

Background: The child posttraumatic stress disorder checklist (CPC) updated to DSM-5 is a questionnaire aimed to assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children. It is available in both parents and child versions. The back-translation method has been used for the French translation of the CPC. It has not been yet validated in French-speaking populations. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties and the validity of the CPC in a sample of French-speaking schoolchildren and their parents.Methods: The sample was composed by 176 children outpatients implicated in the Nice terrorist attack (14 July 2016) aged 7–17 (mean = 11.68 years, SD = 2.63 months) and 122 parents. Cronbach's alpha was used to test CPC internal consistency. The Spearman-correlation coefficient was performed between the French version of the CPC and the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL) to assess the convergent validity. An ROC curve was constructed to verify the validity of the cutoff scores. An evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of each score and a comparison with the diagnosis of the K-SADS-PL were made. Finally, a principal component analysis with varimax rotation was computed to analyze the structure of the French version of the CPC.Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.90 for child version and 0.91 for parent version of the CPC. There was a statistical correlation between the K-SADS-PL for PTSD and the total score of CPC for the child version (r = 0.62; p < 0.001) and for the parent version (r = 0.55; p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the children version with a threshold of >20 were 73.1 and 84.7%, respectively, using the K-SADS-PL as the diagnostic reference for PTSD. Concerning the parent version, using the same recommended cutoff score, the sensitivity, and specificity were 77 and 80.5%, respectively.Conclusions: The psychometric properties of the French CPC are good. This questionnaire appears to be valid and should be used in French-speaking children.

Online and Intellectual Awareness of Executive Functioning in Daily Life among Adolescents with and without ADHD

Objective Executive function deficits (EFD) are a central mechanism underlying negative outcomes in ADHD. This study examined awareness of EFD manifested in “real-time” task performance (Online Awareness) and in general self-knowledge of daily activities, outside the context of a specific task (Intellectual Awareness) among adolescents with and without ADHD. Methods 102 adolescents with ( n = 52) and without ( n = 50) ADHD were administered Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Parents completed the BRIEF parent version. Awareness was defined using the discrepancy paradigm: performance versus estimation on WCPA for online awareness; self versus parent report on the BRIEF for intellectual awareness. Results Adolescents with ADHD overestimated their performance on the WCPA and underestimated their EFD on the BRIEF compared to parent’s ratings. The discrepancy scores in both types of awareness were significantly larger among ADHD than controls ( p < .005). Conclusions Adolescents with ADHD demonstrate significantly lower rates of online and intellectual awareness of EFD compared to controls.

The Parent Version of the Sensitivity to Pain Traumatization Scale (SPTS-P): A Preliminary Validation

Sensitivity to pain traumatization (SPT) is defined as the propensity to develop responses to pain that resemble a traumatic stress reaction. To date, SPT has been assessed in adults with a self-report measure (Sensitivity to Pain Traumatization Scale (SPTS-12)). SPT may also be relevant in the context of parenting a child with chronic pain, as many of these parents report clinically elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). This study aimed to develop and validate a measure of parent SPT by adapting the SPTS-12 and evaluating its psychometric properties in a sample of parents whose children have chronic pain. In total, 170 parents (90.6% female) and children (aged 10–18 years, 71.2% female) were recruited from a tertiary chronic pain program. Parents completed the parent version of the SPTS-12 (SPTS-P) and measures of PTSS, depression, and parenting behaviors. Youth completed measures of pain. Consistent with the SPTS-12, the SPTS-P demonstrated a one-factor structure that accounted for 45% of the variance, adequate to good reliability and moderate construct validity. Parent SPT was positively related to their protective and monitoring behaviors but was unrelated to youth pain intensity, unpleasantness, and interference. These results provide preliminary evidence for the psychometric properties of the SPTS-P and highlight the interaction between parent distress about child pain and parent responses to child pain.

Adaptation of the Quality of Life in Autism Scale for use in Bangladesh

Parents of children with developmental disabilities, particularly Autism Spectrum disorder, are known to be at risk for high levels of psychological distress. The present study aimed to adapt the Quality of Life in Autism Questionnaire (QoLA, parent-version) in the context of Bangladeshi culture. The sample included 50 participants. Participants were selected from the Institute of Paediatric Neurology and Autism (IPNA, BSMMU) and some special schools of Dhaka city. World Health Organization’s (WHO, 2009) guidelines were followed in translating the QoLA and adaptation for use in Bangladesh. For the parent-report version of the QoLA, Cronbach’s coefficients were 0.880 and 0.725 for part A and part B subscale items, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficients for the test-retest reliability were r =0.964 for part A of the scale and r = 0.954 for part B. These psychometric properties are comparable to those obtained in the initial QoLA validation study (Eapen et al. 2014). Results of this study demonstrate that the Bangla version of the QoLA (Parent version) provides a valid measure of quality of life and is suitable for use in Bangladesh. Bioresearch Commu. 7(1): 960-966, 2021 (January