First psychometric evaluation of a disease-specific questionnaire for children's behavior related to otitis media...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Developmental psychology
• Clinical research methodology

Background:

• Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) significantly impacts young children's behavior and development.
• Accurate assessment tools are crucial for early identification and intervention in OME cases.
• Existing behavioral assessment methods may lack age-specific validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a psychometric analysis of two age-specific questionnaires for OME-related behaviors in children aged 12-48 months.
• To evaluate the utility of these questionnaires for case-finding in young children.
• To assess the internal consistency, factor structure, and sensitivity to change of the questionnaires.

Main Methods:

• Psychometric analysis including factor analysis and internal consistency measures (Cronbach's alpha).
• Longitudinal data collection from caregivers of 172 children (12-24 mo) and 121 children (24-48 mo).
• Questionnaire administration at baseline (pre-tympanostomy tube insertion) and 6 weeks post-insertion.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis revealed distinct behavioral factors: four for younger children and six for older children, indicating developmental specificity.
• The overall internal consistency of the questionnaires was high (0.82).
• Sensitivity to change was promising and statistically significant in the 12-24 month age group.

Conclusions:

• The analyzed questionnaires demonstrate psychometric validity for assessing OME-specific behaviors in young children.
• These tools show potential for effective case-finding and monitoring treatment response.
• Further research with revised questionnaires is recommended to optimize their use in managing chronic or persistent OME.