Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures
Research on violence against children (VAC) requires meaningful, valid, and reliable self-report by children. Many instruments have been used globally and decisions to select suitable measures are complex. This review identifies child and adolescent self-report measures that are most likely to yield...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1173043 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/93193 |
| _version_ | 1848765708075270144 |
|---|---|
| author | Meinck, F. Neelakantan, L. Steele, B. Jochim, J. Davies, L.M. Boyes, Mark Barlow, J. Dunne, M. |
| author_facet | Meinck, F. Neelakantan, L. Steele, B. Jochim, J. Davies, L.M. Boyes, Mark Barlow, J. Dunne, M. |
| author_sort | Meinck, F. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Research on violence against children (VAC) requires meaningful, valid, and reliable self-report by children. Many instruments have been used globally and decisions to select suitable measures are complex. This review identifies child and adolescent self-report measures that are most likely to yield valid, reliable, and comparable data in this field. A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD4201706) was conducted using the 2018 Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instrument (COSMIN) criteria. Six electronic databases and gray literature were searched. Manuscripts published in English and describing the development and psychometric qualities of child/adolescent self-report instruments were included. Thirty-nine original instruments and 13 adaptations were identified in 124 studies. The quality of evidence ranged from “very low” to “high” depending on the measure and the psychometric properties assessed. Most measures were not widely used, and some have been applied in many settings despite limited evidence of their psychometric rigor. Few studies assessed content validity, particularly with children. The ACE, CTQ, CTS-PC, CECA, ICAST, and JVQ have the best psychometric properties. An overview of items measuring frequency, onset, duration, perpetrators, and locations is provided as well as an assessment of the practicalities for administration to help researchers select the instrument best suited for their research questions. This comprehensive review shows the strengths and weaknesses of VAC research instruments. Six measures that have sufficient psychometric properties are recommended for use in research, with the caveat that extensive piloting is carried out to ensure sufficient content validity for the local context and population. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:39:32Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-93193 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:39:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-931932023-10-03T07:59:49Z Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures Meinck, F. Neelakantan, L. Steele, B. Jochim, J. Davies, L.M. Boyes, Mark Barlow, J. Dunne, M. Social Sciences Criminology & Penology Family Studies Social Work violence against children child abuse child maltreatment measurement psychometrics instrument MALTREATMENT ABUSE EXPERIENCES RELIABILITY VALIDITY BURDEN HEALTH child abuse child maltreatment instrument measurement psychometrics violence against children Humans Child Adolescent Self Report Psychometrics Violence Reproducibility of Results Databases, Factual Humans Reproducibility of Results Psychometrics Violence Databases, Factual Adolescent Child Self Report Research on violence against children (VAC) requires meaningful, valid, and reliable self-report by children. Many instruments have been used globally and decisions to select suitable measures are complex. This review identifies child and adolescent self-report measures that are most likely to yield valid, reliable, and comparable data in this field. A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD4201706) was conducted using the 2018 Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instrument (COSMIN) criteria. Six electronic databases and gray literature were searched. Manuscripts published in English and describing the development and psychometric qualities of child/adolescent self-report instruments were included. Thirty-nine original instruments and 13 adaptations were identified in 124 studies. The quality of evidence ranged from “very low” to “high” depending on the measure and the psychometric properties assessed. Most measures were not widely used, and some have been applied in many settings despite limited evidence of their psychometric rigor. Few studies assessed content validity, particularly with children. The ACE, CTQ, CTS-PC, CECA, ICAST, and JVQ have the best psychometric properties. An overview of items measuring frequency, onset, duration, perpetrators, and locations is provided as well as an assessment of the practicalities for administration to help researchers select the instrument best suited for their research questions. This comprehensive review shows the strengths and weaknesses of VAC research instruments. Six measures that have sufficient psychometric properties are recommended for use in research, with the caveat that extensive piloting is carried out to ensure sufficient content validity for the local context and population. 2023 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/93193 10.1177/15248380221082152 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1173043 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Criminology & Penology Family Studies Social Work violence against children child abuse child maltreatment measurement psychometrics instrument MALTREATMENT ABUSE EXPERIENCES RELIABILITY VALIDITY BURDEN HEALTH child abuse child maltreatment instrument measurement psychometrics violence against children Humans Child Adolescent Self Report Psychometrics Violence Reproducibility of Results Databases, Factual Humans Reproducibility of Results Psychometrics Violence Databases, Factual Adolescent Child Self Report Meinck, F. Neelakantan, L. Steele, B. Jochim, J. Davies, L.M. Boyes, Mark Barlow, J. Dunne, M. Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures |
| title | Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures |
| title_full | Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures |
| title_fullStr | Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures |
| title_short | Measuring Violence Against Children: A COSMIN Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Child and Adolescent Self-Report Measures |
| title_sort | measuring violence against children: a cosmin systematic review of the psychometric properties of child and adolescent self-report measures |
| topic | Social Sciences Criminology & Penology Family Studies Social Work violence against children child abuse child maltreatment measurement psychometrics instrument MALTREATMENT ABUSE EXPERIENCES RELIABILITY VALIDITY BURDEN HEALTH child abuse child maltreatment instrument measurement psychometrics violence against children Humans Child Adolescent Self Report Psychometrics Violence Reproducibility of Results Databases, Factual Humans Reproducibility of Results Psychometrics Violence Databases, Factual Adolescent Child Self Report |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1173043 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/93193 |