The Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social–Emotional: A validation study of a mother‐report questionnaire on a clinical mother–infant sample

Abstract

Mother-report questionnaires of infant socioemotional functioning are increasingly used to screen for clinical referral to infant mental health services. The validity of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQ:SE; J. Squires, D. Bricker, K. Heo, & E. Twombly, 2002) was investigated in a sample of help-seeking mothers with young infants. It was compared with independent observer-rated dyadic interactions, and the quality of dyadic relationships was rated by expert clinicians. The ASQ:SE ratings also were compared with questionnaires on maternal psychological stress and distress. The ASQ:SE did not correlate significantly with either external ratings of dyadic interaction or clinically assessed relationship qualities, though the latter two were strongly associated with each other. In contrast, ASQ:SE scores were associated with questionnaires relating to maternal psychological distress. This was especially true for mothers classified as depressed. Furthermore, reports on the ASQ:SE were strongly predicted by maternal stress. The study points to some problems with the concurrent validity of the ASQ:SE in clinical samples. It also demonstrates a close link between mothers' psychological distress and their ratings of infant social and emotional functioning. Further research should investigate the extent to which the ASQ:SE specifically measures infant functioning or maternal distress, and how it functions in clinical versus nonclinical samples.

Influence of early regulatory problems in infants on their development at 12 months: a longitudinal study in a high-risk sample

“…Neither maternal distress nor the dysfunctionality of interaction at the age of 4 months alone had the predictive power to explain the variance in children’s social development at 12 months. Thus we could not replicate the observation of Salomonsson and Sleed [20]. However, we found negative correlations between maternal distress ( r  = -0.21), dysfunctionality of interaction ( r  = -0.22) and the children’s social development at the age of 12 months when they were concurrently measured.…”

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Assisted Reproductive Technologies

“…Unlike the Bayley scales (3rd edition), which are administered by a third party blinded to the exposure, the Age and Stage Questionnaires require parental administration, which may introduce confirmatory bias. 21 Third, although the 3D-Study required a prospective, two-step verification of exposure including ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination, the KIDS study could not verify the validity of the exposure because there is no registry in the United States. 9 Nevertheless, the replication of similar findings in both studies despite the use of different methodologies is encouraging and may serve to reassure patients undergoing ART.…”

Video-feedback intervention to improve parental sensitivity and the quality of interactions in mother-father-infant triads

“…Specifically, different variables that influence the quality of family interactions have been identified, such as maternal depressive symptomatology and stress in parenting [21,22]; maternal emotional deregulation [23]; and experiences of early parental adversity [24,25].…”