Background
Child maltreatment (CM) is global public health issue with devastating lifelong consequences. Global organizations have endeavored to eliminate CM, however, there is a lack of consensus on which instruments are most suitable for the investigation and prevention of CM. Although most CM is perpetrated by parents or caregivers and their reports of CM are more accurate than professionals or children, parent or caregiver report instruments measuring CM by themselves have never been systematically evaluated for their content validity; the most important psychometric property.
Objectives
This systematic review aims to appraise the psychometric properties of all current parent or caregiver reported CM instruments and recommend the most suitable for use.
Methods
A systematic search will be performed using six electronic literature databases (CINAHL, Embase, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Sociological Abstracts) and gray literature will be retrieved through reference checking. Eligible studies need to report on psychometric properties (validity, reliability and responsiveness) of instruments measuring CM perpetrated and reported by parents or caregivers. The quality of studies and psychometric properties of the instruments will be evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) tools.
Sub-projects
- A Systematic Review Evaluating Psychometric Properties of Parent / Caregiver Report Instruments on Child Maltreatment - Part 1: Validity
- A Systematic Review Evaluating Psychometric Properties of Parent / Caregiver Report Instruments on Child Maltreatment - Part 2: Reliability
- A Systematic Review Evaluating Psychometric Properties of Parent / Caregiver Report Instruments on Child Maltreatment - Part 3: Responsiveness
Tools
COSMIN Tools : These tools help researchers or clinicians improve the selection of the most appropriate outcome measurement instruments in research and practice.