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01-02-2022 | Child Abuse

The Development, Preliminary Validation, and Clinical Application of the Quick Parenting Assessment

Authors: Kathleen A. Sausen, James W. Randolph, Allison N. Casciato, Mary S. Dietrich, Seth J. Scholer

Published in: Prevention Science | Issue 2/2022

Abstract

To prevent diseases, efforts are needed to determine how to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including parenting behaviors. The objective of this study, conducted in Nashville TN in 2017, was to initiate testing the psychometric properties of two new Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screening tools, the Quick Parenting Assessment (QPA) and Other Childhood Stressors (OCS). In a clinic serving low-income families, caregivers of children ages 2–10 completed assessments of parenting (QPA), other stressors (OCS), child behavior problems ((Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)), and Attitudes Toward Spanking (ATS). The QPA takes 1 min to complete and assesses for healthy and unhealthy parenting behaviors. Seventy-five percent of eligible participants completed the survey (N=558). A reduced 10-item QPA yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.79 and, in 4–10-year-olds, was associated with high SDQ conduct, hyperactivity, and total difficulties scores (r=0.44, 0.48, and 0.47; all p< 0.001). Children with QPAs of >4 were nine times more likely than those children with scores of ≤2 to have behavior problems (OR=8.93, 95% CI = 3.74–21.32). Elevated QPAs were associated with the ATS (r=0.47, p < .001). The OCS was also associated with high SDQ total difficulties scores (r=0.28, p< 0.001). Two pediatric ACEs screening tools, the QPA and the OCS, have promising psychometric properties. The findings suggest that parenting behaviors may play an outsized role in the pathogenesis of outcomes associated with ACEs. We discuss the clinical application of the QPA at our institution and the theoretical potential for this instrument to reduce the rates of short- and long-term health problems.

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Title: The Development, Preliminary Validation, and Clinical Application of the Quick Parenting Assessment
Authors: Kathleen A. Sausen
James W. Randolph
Allison N. Casciato
Mary S. Dietrich
Seth J. Scholer
Publication date: 01-02-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: Child Abuse
Child Abuse
Published in: Prevention Science / Issue 2/2022
Print ISSN: 1389-4986
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6695
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01320-w

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Springer Medicine

The Development, Preliminary Validation, and Clinical Application of the Quick Parenting Assessment

Abstract

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Abstract

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