Mood assessment via animated characters: An instrument to access and evaluate emotions in young children

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Co-design and qualitative validation of animated assessment item content for a child-reported digital distress screener

“…These results echo previous efforts at digitizing measures for children and including pictorial representations such as the Dominic-R ( Valla et al, 2000 ) and MAAC ( Manassis et al, 2013 ) which demonstrated that children showed favorable opinions of digital assessments that incorporated visual images. However, these instruments tended to utilize only static images and characters to deliver assessment items and still relied on written words or a professional to read assessment questions.…”

“…Initial studies variously reported high user satisfaction and some clinical utility (i.e., computerized SDQ), moderate convergent validity (i.e., DI), and discrimination between anxious and nonanxious children (i.e., MAAC). Notably, all demonstrated improved engagement compared to standard pencil-and-paper versions suggesting visual, digital formats are favored by children ( Bergeron et al, 2013 ; Linares Scott et al, 2006 ; Manassis et al, 2013 ; Truman et al, 2003 ).…”

The Interactive Child Distress Screener: Development and Preliminary Feasibility Testing

“…Screening directly with children may facilitate quick identification of a range of social and behavioral indicators [ 9 ], while also having the potential to capture internalizing (emotional) difficulties that parents or caregivers have not been able to observe [ 12 ]. However, there are numerous administrative challenges that may preclude children from responding or impact the reliability of the information collected [ 13 , 14 ]. Children may find the traditional text-based rating scales difficult because of their limited attention spans or difficulties with reading, language, and item comprehension [ 13 , 14 ], with these issues more pronounced in younger children (eg, 5-8 years).…”

“…However, there are numerous administrative challenges that may preclude children from responding or impact the reliability of the information collected [ 13 , 14 ]. Children may find the traditional text-based rating scales difficult because of their limited attention spans or difficulties with reading, language, and item comprehension [ 13 , 14 ], with these issues more pronounced in younger children (eg, 5-8 years). In addition, given there are significant developmental variations between the ages of 5 and 12 years, crafting items using appropriate language that is broadly suitable across various ages is a challenge for scale developers.…”

“…More recently, engaging and innovative approaches using digital technologies have been trialed. Examples include the Dominic Interactive [ 19 ], a computer-based diagnostic assessment that utilizes child-friendly (static) images, and maps onto 7 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition disorders with demonstrated reliability and construct validity [ 20 ]; the Mood Assessment via Animated Characters [ 21 ], which uses digitally animated characters to assess internalized mood states (feelings) in young children aged between 4 and 11 years, and which has been shown to discriminate between anxious and nonanxious children [ 14 ]; and TickiT, a psychosocial screening app for adolescent youths that has been employed in hospital settings [ 22 , 23 ]. Similarly, a computer-administered, pictorial version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has also been investigated with children aged between 8 and 15 years, with some evidence of clinical sensitivity (in children 11 years and older), higher user satisfaction ratings, and improved engagement compared with the standard pencil-and-paper version [ 24 ].…”