Shannon K. Bennetts

The Agreement between Parent-Reported and Directly Measured Child Language and Parenting Behaviors.

Parenting behaviors are commonly targeted in early interventions to improve children’s language development. Accurate measurement of both parenting behaviors and children’s language outcomes is thus crucial for sensitive assessment of intervention outcomes. To date, only a small number of studies have compared parent-reported and directly measured behaviors, and these have been hampered by small sample sizes and inaccurate statistical techniques, such as correlations. The Bland–Altman Method and Reduced Major Axis regression represent more reliable alternatives because they allow us to quantify fixed and proportional bias between measures. In this study, we draw on data from two Australian early childhood cohorts (N = 201 parents and slow-to-talk toddlers aged 24 months; and N = 218 parents and children aged 6–36 months experiencing social adversity) to (1) examine agreement and quantify bias between parent-reported and direct measures, and (2) to determine socio-demographic predictors of the differences between parent-reported and direct measures. Measures of child language and parenting behaviors were collected from parents and their children. Our findings support the utility of the Bland–Altman Method and Reduced Major Axis regression in comparing measurement methods. Results indicated stronger agreement between parent-reported and directly measured child language, and poorer agreement between measures of parenting behaviors. Child age was associated with difference scores for child language; however, the direction varied for each cohort. Parents who rated their child’s temperament as more difficult tended to report lower language scores on the parent questionnaire, compared to the directly measured scores. Older parents tended to report lower parenting responsiveness on the parent questionnaire, compared to directly measured scores. Finally, speaking a language other than English was associated with less responsive parenting behaviors on the videotaped observation compared to the parent questionnaire. Variation in patterns of agreement across the distribution of scores highlighted the importance of assessing agreement comprehensively, providing strong evidence that simple correlations are grossly insufficient for method comparisons. We discuss implications for researchers and clinicians, including guidance for measurement selection, and the potential to reduce financial and time-related expenses and improve data quality. Further research is required to determine whether findings described here are reflected in more representative populations.

Worries, ‘weirdos’, neighborhoods and knowing people: a qualitative study with children and parents regarding children's independent mobility

Abstract This qualitative study involved focus groups with 132 children and 12 parents in primary and secondary schools in metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria, Australia, to explore experiences and perceptions of childrens independent mobility. The study highlights the impact of family routines, neighborhood characteristics, social norms and reference points for decision making. Children reported a wider range of safety concerns than parents, including harm from strangers or traffic, bullying, or getting lost. Children expressed great delight in being independent, often seeking to actively influence parents’ decision making. Childrens independent mobility is a developmental process, requiring graduated steps and skill building. HighlightsChildrens independent mobility was explored using child and parent focus groups.Children reported a broader range of concerns than parents.Parents worried about harm from strangers, traffic or disapproval from others.Children also worried about bullying, getting lost or being hurt by animals.Children enjoyed being independent and encouraged parents to permit greater freedom.

What Influences Parents’ Fear about Children’s Independent Mobility? Evidence from a State-Wide Survey of Australian Parents:

Purpose: To identify factors associated with generalized and stranger-specific parental fear (PF) about children’s independent mobility (CIM), a critical aspect of physical activity. Design: Cross-sectional survey; random sampling frame, minimum quotas of fathers, rural residents. Setting: State of Victoria, Australia. Subjects: Parents of children aged 9 to 15 years (n = 1779), 71% response rate. Measures: Validated measures of PF and fear of strangers (FoS); parent, child, social, and environmental factors. Analysis: Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression stratified by child age (9-10; 11-13; 14-15). Results: Adjusted models explained a substantial proportion of variance across all age groups (PF: 33.6%-36.7%; FoS: 39.1%-44.0%). Perceived disapproval from others was consistently associated with both outcomes (PF: β =.11 to 23, p ≤ .05; FoS: β =.17-.21, p ≤ .001) as was parents’ perception of children’s competence to travel safely (PF: β = −.24 to −.11, p ≤ .05; FoS: β = −.16 to −.13, p ≤ .01). Factors associated with FoS included having a female child (β = −.21 to −.13, p ≤ .001), language other than English (β = .09 to.11, p ≤ .01), and low levels of parent education (β = −.14 to −08, p ≤ .05). Conclusion: The current study suggests that social norms, child competence, and perceptions about the benefits of CIM underpin PF. This evidence informs the development of interventions to reduce PF and promote CIM and children’s physical activity.

What Influences Parental Engagement in Early Intervention? Parent, Program and Community Predictors of Enrolment, Retention and Involvement

Poor participant engagement undermines individual and public health benefits of early intervention programs. This study assessed the extent to which three types of engagement (participant enrolment, retention and involvement) were influenced by individual, program and contextual factors. Data were from a cluster randomised controlled trial (N = 1447) of a community-based parenting program, delivered at two levels of intensity (group sessions with and without individualised home coaching) conducted in Victoria, Australia. Individual (parent and family) factors and program factors were assessed by parent report and administrative records, and contextual factors by area-level population statistics. Data were analysed using multilevel logistic or linear regression models. Individual and contextual factors predicted enrolment, while family and program factors were more influential on program retention and parents’ active involvement. Provision of individualised support was important to all forms of engagement, particularly for families experiencing the greatest barriers to participation. These findings indicate that different strategies are required to effectively support families in the processes of enrolling, continuing to attend and actively participating in early intervention programs.

Ethical issues in using the internet to engage participants in family and child research: A scoping review

Background The internet is an increasingly popular tool in family and child research that is argued to pose new ethical challenges, yet few studies have systematically assessed the ethical issues of engaging parents and children in research online. This scoping review aims to identify and integrate evidence on the ethical issues reported when recruiting, retaining and tracing families and children in research online, and to identify ethical guidelines for internet research. Methods Academic literature was searched using electronic academic databases (Scopus, PsycINFO, Embase, ERIC, CINAHL and Informit) and handsearching reference lists for articles published in English between January 2006 and February 2016. Grey literature was searched using Google to identify relevant ethical guidelines. Results Sixty-five academic articles were included after screening 3,537 titles and abstracts and 205 full-text articles. Most articles reported using the internet to recruit participants (88%) with few reporting online retention (12%) or tracing (10%). Forty percent commented on ethical issues; the majority did not discuss ethics beyond general consent or approval procedures. Some ethical concerns were specific to engaging minors online, including parental consent, age verification and children’s vulnerability. Other concerns applied when engaging any research participant online, including privacy and confidentiality, informed consent and disparities in internet access. Five professional guidelines and 10 university guidelines on internet research ethics were identified. Few academic articles (5%) reported using these guidelines. Conclusions Engaging families and children in research online introduces unique challenges requiring careful consideration. While researchers regarded themselves as responsible for ensuring research is conducted ethically, lack of use of available guidelines and limited academic literature suggests internet research is occurring without suitable guidance. We recommend broad dissemination of ethical guidelines and encourage researchers to report the methodological and ethical issues of using the internet to engage families and children in research.

Establishing agreement between parent-reported and directly-measured behaviours

THE QUALITY AND ACCURACY OF research findings relies on the use of appropriate and sensitive research methods. To date, few studies have directly compared quantitative measurement methods in the early childhood field and the extent to which parent-reported and directly-measured behaviours agree is unclear. Existing studies are hampered by small sample sizes and the use of statistical techniques which quantify the magnitude of association between measures (e.g. correlations), but not agreement. Here we review the limitations of existing method comparisons and suggest how alternative statistical approaches such as the Bland-Altman Method and ordinary least products regression can be readily applied in the early childhood context. Understanding agreement (and disagreement) between measurement methods has potential to reduce research costs and improve data quality, with important implications for researchers, clinicians and policy-makers.