The context and development of the early relational health screen

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Public Health
• Mental Health

Background:

• Early relational experiences significantly impact social-emotional, educational, mental, and physical health outcomes.
• Child health sectors prioritize promotion, prevention, and early intervention using evidence-based screening.
• Existing parent-infant assessment tools often lack practicality, universal acceptability, or readiness for widespread adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel video-based screening tool for early relational health (ERH) in parent-infant dyads.
• To address the need for practical, acceptable, and universally adoptable assessment tools in clinical settings.
• To adapt the tool for use in home visiting and child health sectors, incorporating video feedback for parents.

Main Methods:

• Development and testing of the Early Relational Health Screen (ERHS), a video-based dyadic relational screening tool.
• Focus on the parent-child relationship in infants aged 6-24 months within the ERH construct.
• Adaptation of the ERHS with brief video feedback for parents in population-based, prospective research.

Main Results:

• Initial testing confirmed the ERHS as a valid, reliable, feasible, and useful tool for clinical screening and monitoring.
• The ERHS and its adaptations demonstrated potential to advance ERH and equity.
• The tool is suitable for busy practice settings and diverse populations.

Conclusions:

• The Early Relational Health Screen (ERHS) offers a practical solution for assessing early parent-child relationships.
• The ERHS and its adaptations can support the transformation of child health and public health systems.
• This tool promotes early relational health and health equity for infants and families.