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The child vulnerability scale: an instrument to measure parental perceptions of child vulnerability
B W Forsyth1, S M Horwitz, J M Leventhal
1Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.
Insights
A new Child Vulnerability Scale helps identify at-risk children. This validated tool found 10.1% of children perceived as vulnerable, showing increased behavioral issues and medical visits.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Social Work
Background:
- Identifying vulnerable children is crucial for early intervention.
- Existing tools may lack comprehensive validation or specific focus.
- Understanding factors contributing to child vulnerability is an ongoing research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a reliable instrument for identifying children perceived as vulnerable.
- To refine the Child Vulnerability Scale based on empirical data.
- To establish a cutoff score for classifying perceived vulnerability.
Main Methods:
- Mothers of 1,095 children (aged 4-8) completed interviews using the original 12-item Child Vulnerability Scale.
- Eight items correlating with key vulnerability variables were retained for the revised scale.
- Internal consistency and a cutoff score were determined for the revised scale.
Main Results:
- The revised Child Vulnerability Scale demonstrated good internal consistency.
- 10.1% of the studied children were identified as perceived vulnerable using the revised scale.
- Perceived vulnerable children showed significantly more behavior problems and acute medical visits.
Conclusions:
- The revised Child Vulnerability Scale is a validated instrument for identifying perceived child vulnerability.
- This scale can aid in understanding the causes and effects of vulnerability in child development.
- Findings highlight the association between perceived vulnerability and negative health and behavioral outcomes.
Abstract:
Developed and validated an instrument for identifying children perceived as vulnerable. Mothers of 1,095 children, aged 4-8 years, completed interviews that included the original 12-item Child Vulnerability Scale. Eight items that correlated best with each of two major variables that contribute to vulnerability were retained in the revised scale and a cutoff score was identified for children perceived as vulnerable. The internal consistency of the revised scale was good. Using the revised scale, 10.1% of children were identified as perceived vulnerable. Children categorized as perceived vulnerable had a significant increase in behavior problems and acute medical visits. The revised Child Vulnerability Scale should be useful in providing a better understanding of the causes and effects of an important factor in child development.