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Validation of the Mothers Object Relations scales in 2-4 year old children and comparison with the Child-Parent

Douglas E Simkiss1, Fiona MacCallum, Emma E Y Fan

  • 1Warwick MedicalSchool, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. d.e.simkiss@warwick.ac.uk

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
|March 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

A new scale, the MORS (Child), effectively measures parent-child relationships in toddlers aged 2-4 years. This tool is easy to use and shows strong validity, outperforming the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (C-PRS).

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies
  • Psychometric Measurement

Background:

  • Parent-child relationship quality significantly impacts child development outcomes.
  • Validated scales are crucial for evaluating interventions promoting healthy family dynamics.
  • A gap exists for reliable parent-child relationship measures for children aged 2-4 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate the MORS (Child) scale, an adaptation of the Mothers' Object Relations - Short Form (MORS-SF).
  • To assess the parent-child relationship in children aged 2 to 4 years.
  • To provide a brief, population-survey-friendly measure for intervention evaluations.

Main Methods:

  • Construct and criterion validity, item salience, and internal consistency were assessed.
  • A sample of 166 parents of children aged 2-4 years participated.
  • The MORS (Child) scale was compared with the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (C-PRS) and evaluated within composite measures using existing trial data.

Main Results:

  • The MORS (Child) demonstrated high construct and criterion validity, item salience, and internal consistency in the target age group.
  • The C-PRS had one item that did not load onto any subscale, and parents found it slightly more difficult to complete than the MORS (Child).
  • Factor analysis showed near-identical loadings when MORS (Child) and C-PRS were used with the HOME inventory.

Conclusions:

  • The adapted MORS (Child) scale is a valid and user-friendly tool for assessing parent-child relationships in 2-4 year olds.
  • The MORS (Child) offers advantages over the commonly used C-PRS.
  • This scale facilitates research and evaluation in early childhood family relationship studies.
Abstract

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