Development, reliability, and validity of the Alberta Perinatal Stroke Project Parental Outcome Measure

Taryn B Bemister; Brian L Brooks; Adam Kirton

doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2014.01.052

Development, reliability, and validity of the Alberta Perinatal Stroke Project Parental Outcome Measure

Pediatr Neurol. 2014 Jul;51(1):43-52. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2014.01.052. Epub 2014 Apr 5.

Authors

Taryn B Bemister¹, Brian L Brooks², Adam Kirton³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
² Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Neurosciences (Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Programs), Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
³ Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Calgary Pediatric Stroke Program, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: adam.kirton@albertahealthservices.ca.

PMID: 24938139
DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2014.01.052

Abstract

Background: Perinatal stroke is a leading cause of cerebral palsy and lifelong disability, although parent and family outcomes have not yet been studied in this specific population. The Alberta Perinatal Stroke Project Parental Outcome Measure was developed as a 26-item questionnaire on the impact of perinatal stroke on parents and families.

Methods: The items were derived from expert opinion and scientific literature on issues salient to parents of children with perinatal stroke, including guilt and blame, which are not well captured in existing measures of family impact. Data were collected from 82 mothers and 28 fathers who completed the Parental Outcome Measure and related questionnaires (mean age, 39.5 years; mean child age, 7.4 years). Analyses examined the Parental Outcome Measure's internal consistency, test-retest reliability, validity, and factor structure.

Results: The Parental Outcome Measure demonstrated three unique theoretical constructs: Psychosocial Impact, Guilt, and Blame. The Parental Outcome Measure has excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.91) and very good test-retest reliability more than 2-5 weeks (r = 0.87). Regarding validity, the Parental Outcome Measure is sensitive to condition severity, accounts for additional variance in parent outcomes, and strongly correlates with measures of anxiety, depression, stress, quality of life, family functioning, and parent adjustment.

Conclusions: The Parental Outcome Measure contributes to the literature as the first brief measure of family impact designed for parents of children with perinatal stroke.

Keywords: APSP Parental Outcome Measure; POM; caregivers; family impact; parent impact; perinatal stroke; reliability; validity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Alberta
Anxiety Disorders / etiology*
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Outcome Assessment, Health Care*
Parents / psychology*
Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data
Quality of Life
Reproducibility of Results
Stroke / complications
Stroke / psychology*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Canada