Abstract
BackgroundEvidence suggests that cumulative early psychosocial adversity can influence early child development (ECD). The Childhood Psychosocial Adversity Scale (CPAS) is a novel measure of cumulative risk designed for use in global ECD research. We describe its development and assess validity from its first application in Bangladesh, where it predicts cognitive development scores among young children.MethodsItems were generated from literature review and qualitatively assessed for local relevance. Two-hundred and eighty-five mother–child dyads from an urban slum of Dhaka completed the CPAS at child ages 18, 24, 48, and/or 60 months. The CPAS was assessed for internal consistency, retest reliability, and convergent, incremental, and predictive validity.ResultsThe CPAS includes subscales assessing child maltreatment, caregiver mental health, family conflict, domestic violence, and household/community psychosocial risks. In Bangladesh, subscales had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α > 0.70). Full-scale score had good 2-week test–retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.89; F(38,38) = 8.45, p < 0.001). Using multivariate regression, 48-month CPAS score significantly predicted 60-month intelligence quotient, accounting for more variance than socioeconomic status or malnutrition.ConclusionsThe CPAS is a novel tool assessing cumulative childhood psychosocial risk. Evidence supports validity of its use in ECD research in Bangladesh, and ongoing work is applying it in additional countries.
Highlights
We describe development of the Childhood Psychosocial Adversity Scale (CPAS), a novel questionnaire measuring cumulative child psychosocial risk designed to be locally adapted and validated for use in early child development (ECD) research in low-resource country contexts
Eighty-four percent lived below the international poverty line (US$1.90/day), with a mean income of US$1.27 per household member daily
Most mothers (78%) identified their occupation as “housewife,” while 15% worked in the home and 7% worked outside the home, most commonly in a
Summary
Evidence suggests that cumulative exposure to psychosocial adversity in early life—experiences including child abuse and neglect, witnessing family violence, having a parent with untreated mental illness, or other significant psychosocial stressors—can influence developmental processes across cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical domains with implications for longitudinal health and social outcomes.[1,2,3] Animal models and translational human research have suggested mechanisms by which excessive early activation of neuroendocrine stress response pathways may potentiate developmental changes in key homeostatic systems promoting chronic inflammation,[3] immune dysfunction,[4] and broad changes in brain structure and function impacting executive functioning, stress coping, reward processing, and higher cognition[5] (see recent review[6]). Evidence supports validity of its use in ECD research in Bangladesh, and ongoing work is applying it in additional countries
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
