Date of Award
1-1-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
First Advisor
John N. Young
Second Advisor
Sarah Bilsky
Third Advisor
Stephanie Miller
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Young children experience psychological difficulties at comparable rates to school-aged children (Egger & Angold, 2006; Bufferd et al., 2011; Fuchs et al., 2013), yet few screening tools are available for this age range. Childcare and preschool settings present a unique opportunity to increase early screening efforts, particularly in terms of observing children among their peers. The current study presents initial steps toward the development of a new psychological screening tool for young children ages 1.5 – 5 years in childcare and educational settings. The aim of the study was to develop a brief and broad psychological screening tool that can identify psychological and developmental difficulties in early childhood. Study 1 consisted of a survey of childcare staff in the US. A total of 115 individuals participated and provided information about their daily work, their knowledge about psychological difficulties, and attitudes toward screening instruments. In addition to review of research, review of diagnostic criteria, and researcher review, the information gathered in study 1 was used to construct the initial items of the screening tool. These were reviewed by several clinical researchers and refined to create a final item pool that was used in study 2, where the screener was tested by childcare teachers for 143 children across 5 schools. Results were analyzed via exploratory factor analysis, which reduced the screening tool to 18 multiple-choice items and yielded a four-factor solution (comprising factors labeled Inattention, Irritability, Rule-breaking/Non-compliance, and Anxiety). Preliminary psychometric investigations indicated adequate internal consistency for the screener as a whole, although convergent validity was more limited (potentially due to methodological and conceptual limitations). Future studies in a larger sample are needed to confirm the present factor structure and further investigate psychometric properties of the screening instrument.
Recommended Citation
Tinsley, Diana, "Development of a Novel Psychological Screening Tool for Young Children in Educational and Childcare Settings" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2728.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2728