The Homelife Interview from the Project on Human Developmentin Chicago Neighborhoods: Assessment of Parenting and Home Environment for 3- to 15-Year-Olds

Abstract

Objective. This study reports on the development of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods Homelife Interview. Traditional psychometric techniques and approaches based on item response theory were used to construct scales from 136 items assessing parental warmth and responsivity, provision of learning activities, parental supervision and monitoring, parental communication skills, routines, and quality of physical environment. Design. A majority of items were taken from 4 versions of the Home Observation and Measurement of the Environment Inventory (Bradley et al., 2000; Caldwell & Bradley, 1984). Data were drawn from 2,685 households (17% European American, 34% African American, and 45% Latin American), randomly chosen from 80 neighborhoods varying in racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Results. A reduced set of 8 scales is proposed-5 scales spanning the entire age range from 3 to 15 years and based on interviewer observation (Parental Warmth, Parental Lack of Hostility, Parental Verbal Skills, Internal Environment, and External Environment), and 3 scales based on parent report, tapping similar constructs for 3- to 6-year-olds and 9- to 15-year-olds but with age-specific items (Developmental Stimulation, Access to Reading Materials, and Outings/Activities). No reliable scales were found for parental monitoring and routines. Conclusions. Results of test reliability functions indicate that a majority of scales function as "risk assessments," distinguishing between families providing lower levels of developmental support and families providing adequate levels of such support.