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

Arimoto, Azusa; Tadaka, Etsuko

doi:10.1177/0886260519863724

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(91 reference statements)

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“…Childcare professionals working in daycare and home visiting settings occupy a privileged position of being able to detect the risk or presence of caretaker abuse in a timely fashion because of their close, regular and often prolonged daily contact with infants and toddlers; however, they often lack the tools and training to do so [20]. Our project had a twofold purpose: the primary purpose was to develop a screening tool with and for childcare professionals that is easy to use, includes different areas of observation (physical, emotional, behavioral, caregiver interaction) [13,[41][42][43][44][45] and is accompanied by a risk-based assessment tree that facilitates the decision-making process in case of the risk or presence of child abuse [46,47]. Secondly, a training plan was developed to accompany the childcare professional in acquiring the ability to feel comfortable using the tool.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of a Screening Tool for Childcare Professionals to Detect and Refer Infant and Toddler Maltreatment and Trauma: A Tale of Four Countries

Bisagno,

Cadamuro,

Serafine

et al. 2023

Children

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Child maltreatment is considered a pressing social question, compromising the present and future mental and physical health of one in four children in Europe. While children younger than three years of age are especially vulnerable, few screening instruments are available for the detection of risk in this age group. The purpose of this research was to develop a screening tool for childcare professionals working in public and private daycare settings to support them in the early identification and referral of infants and toddlers exposed to emotional and physical abuse and neglect by primary caregivers, to be used in different settings across four European countries: Belgium, Italy, Latvia, and Hungary. Method: A stratified process was used to create the screening tool: We started by using Living lab methodology to co-create the screening tool with its final users, which was followed by testing the tool with a total of 120 childcare professionals from the four participating countries. Results: During the Living Lab phase, a screening tool with three layers was developed. The initial layer includes five “red flags” that signal particular concern and require immediate action. The second layer is a quick screener with twelve items focused on four areas: neglect of basic needs, delays in development, unusual behaviors, and interaction with caregivers. The third layer is an in-depth questionnaire that aids in formalizing a thorough observation of twenty-five items within the same four areas as the quick screener. After a one-day training session, 120 childcare professionals caring for children aged 0–3 from four countries assessed the screening tool and their overall training experience. Childcare professionals reported great satisfaction with the three-layered structure, which made the tool versatile, and agreed on its content, which was considered helpful in the daycare setting for the regular evaluation of the behavior of children and their primary caregivers, thus improving the early observation of change from the normal behavior of the infant or toddler. Conclusion: The three-layered screening tool was reported as feasible, practical, and with great content validity by childcare professionals working in four European countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of a Screening Tool for Childcare Professionals to Detect and Refer Infant and Toddler Maltreatment and Trauma: A Tale of Four Countries

Bisagno,

Cadamuro,

Serafine

et al. 2023

Children

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“…Infant neglect was measured by the Signs of Neglect in Infants Assessment Scale (SIGN) (Arimoto & Tadaka, 2021). SIGN is a community/public health nurses-rated scale and consists of 14 items.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal Impaired Cognition and Infant Neglect: Exploring the Independent and Combined Effects of Maternal Executive Function and Reflective Function

Mao

et al. 2023

J Interpers Violence

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Infant neglect is a common type of child maltreatment. According to the Social Information Processing theory, maternal executive function (EF) and reflective function (RF) are assumed to be important contributing factors to infant neglect. However, empirical evidence about this assumption is sparse. This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1010 eligible women participated. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function—Adult Version, Parental Reflective Function Questionnaire, and Signs of Neglect in Infants Assessment Scale (SIGN) were used to assess maternal EF, RF, and infant neglect, respectively. Random forest was used to assess the relevant importance of maternal EF and RF. K-means clustering was used to identify the profiles of maternal EF and RF. Multivariable linear regression and generalized additive models were used to examine the independent and combined effects of maternal EF and RF on infant neglect. Each dimension of EF was linearly related to infant neglect. The associations between each dimension of RF and infant neglect were nonlinear. The inflection point for each dimension of RF was indicated. Random forest showed EF was more closely related to infant neglect. EF and RF had accumulative effects on infant neglect. Three profiles were identified. Among them, those with globally impaired EF had the highest level of infant neglect compared with those who had normal cognition or only impaired RF. Maternal EF and RF had independent and combined effects on infant neglect. Interventions with maternal EF and RF as targets are promising for reducing infant neglect.

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“…Before starting the project reported in this article, we conducted a literature search (topic of another paper) following the Prisma guidelines (Liberati et al, 2009). Looking for screening and referral tools and procedures specifically for the 0–3 age group, we only identified four self‐reported measures for parents (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000; Runyan et al, 2009), five tools for professionals (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000, 2001; Arimoto & Tadaka, 2019; Briggs‐Gowan et al, 2002; Essau, 2015), and two observational tools (Crittenden, 2007; ZERO TO THREE, 2005). Our results underscored that, although a rich literature exists concerning screening (for a review, see McTavish et al, 2020), most of it focuses on older children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A European comparison of screening and referral by childcare professionals of maltreatment in children aged 0–3: A wild goose chase or maybe not

et al. 2023

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Framed within the European project ECLIPS (Enhancing the Capacity to combat chiLd abuse through an Integral training and Protocol for childcare professionalS), this study aims at understanding the needs related to the screening and referral of child maltreatment by childcare professionals working with children aged 0–3 in daycare settings of four European countries (Belgium, Hungary, Italy and Latvia). While children in this age group display the highest risk of abuse compared to older children, research and practice are less focused on them. Given their daily exposure, childcare professionals are in a unique position to identify and refer child maltreatment of infants and toddlers. However, data from desk research and focus groups held in the four countries revealed significant gaps in both processes. Screening for abuse is not mandatory for childcare professionals, and many barriers limit its effectiveness, such as the lack of training and the absence of standardised practices. Referral is mainly undermined by psychological barriers, namely fear and lack of self‐efficacy. This is a fundamental first step to developing strategies to face underreporting and filling knowledge gaps while supporting the fundamental competencies necessary to safeguard the young child's best interest, which is the final goal of the ECLIPS project.

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

Cited by 10 publications

References 56 publications

The Development of a Screening Tool for Childcare Professionals to Detect and Refer Infant and Toddler Maltreatment and Trauma: A Tale of Four Countries

The Development of a Screening Tool for Childcare Professionals to Detect and Refer Infant and Toddler Maltreatment and Trauma: A Tale of Four Countries

Maternal Impaired Cognition and Infant Neglect: Exploring the Independent and Combined Effects of Maternal Executive Function and Reflective Function

A European comparison of screening and referral by childcare professionals of maltreatment in children aged 0–3: A wild goose chase or maybe not

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