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Developing and Validating a New Scale to Assess Signs of Neglect of Infants and Caregivers

Azusa Arimoto1, Etsuko Tadaka1

  • 1Yokohama City University, Japan.

Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|July 23, 2019
PubMed

Insights

This study developed the Signs of Neglect in Infants Assessment Scale (SIGN) to identify early infant neglect. The SIGN scale demonstrates strong reliability and validity, aiding early intervention for at-risk infants and families.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Public Health
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • Infant neglect is a prevalent form of child maltreatment with limited research.
  • Existing neglect assessment tools primarily focus on risk factors for caregivers and children, not early signs.
  • A validated scale for early infant neglect detection by public health professionals is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate the Signs of Neglect in Infants Assessment Scale (SIGN).
  • To establish a reliable and valid tool for assessing early signs of infant neglect.
  • To facilitate early support for infants and caregivers at risk of neglect.

Main Methods:

  • Development and refinement of the SIGN scale based on literature, expert consultation, and public health nurse input.
  • Psychometric evaluation using item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on data from 474 nurses.
  • Assessment of reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and validity through correlation with a pre-existing scale and child protection services reporting status.

Main Results:

  • The final SIGN scale comprises 14 items across three factors: lack of basic supervisory care, child underdevelopment, and lack of emotional behavior.
  • Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit (AGFI = 0.921).
  • The SIGN demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > .80) and significant positive correlations with a previous scale and case reporting status.

Conclusions:

  • The SIGN is an innovative and psychometrically sound scale for assessing early signs of infant neglect.
  • The scale can aid public health professionals in identifying infants needing early support.
  • Early identification and intervention through the SIGN scale have the potential to prevent infant neglect.

Keywords:
attachmentfamily issues and mediatorsneglectprevention of child abuse

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