Psychometric Evaluation of the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching (NCAT) Scale in Two Samples of Mothers and Children

<p>The mother-child relationship (MCR) has received an increasing amount of attention over the last several decades regarding its effect on long-term child development. Because the quality and quantity of interactions in the MCR have been established as important predictors of the child’s development, early identification of areas in the relationship requiring support and intervention is essential for promoting positive child outcomes. Observational assessment of the mother and child is considered best practice in evaluating maternal-child interaction (MCI). The Nursing Child Assessment Teaching (NCAT) scale is an instrument that has been used to quantify the quality of interaction in the MCR during the first 36-months of a child’s life. While studies have shown the NCAT scale as both a reliable and valid instrument, limited evidence exists confirming theoretical congruence between the scale and the Barnard Model it is based on. These analyses were conducted using data from two large, demographically different samples, the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) database and the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood database. Item response theory, confirmatory factor analysis, and multiple indicators multiple causes modeling were used to examine the psychometric properties of the NCAT scale and describe the interactions between mothers and children from these samples. Results of analyses offer support for the Barnard Model and the potential for instrument abbreviation, which may provide researchers and practitioners a more concise, reliable way of measuring MCI. In addition, the predictive validity of both the full NCAT scale and resulting abbreviated NCAT scale (NCAT-AB) was established by obtaining Pearson correlations and associated probabilities for MCI at 12-months, measured by the NCAT and NCAT-AB, and child cognitive and language development at 36-months, as measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. This study provided critical appraisal of the NCAT scale, supported the continued use of the NCAT scale in evaluating MCI, and contributed to the growing body of literature surrounding the importance of the MCR on early child development. </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing Science

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Ransone, Samantha H.

Contributors dc:contributor

• J. Carolyn Graff, Ph.D.

• mother-child interaction
• NCAT
• nursing child assessment teaching scale
• other-child relationship
• parent-child interaction
• psychometric evaluation
• Maternal and Child Health
• Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing
• Medicine and Health Sciences
• Nursing

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.uthsc.edu/dissertations/438

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.uthsc.edu:dissertations-1427