Psychometric evaluation of the nursing child assessment teaching (NCAT) scale in a community‐based sample

Abstract

The effect of the mother-child relationship on long-term child development has received research attention for decades. Because the quality and quantity of mother-infant interactions 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. The Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCAT) is an instrument long used to quantify the quality of interaction in the mother-child relationship during the first 36 months of a child's life. While the NCAT has been shown to be a reliable and valid instrument, limited evidence exists of the theoretical congruence between the Barnard Model it is based on and the NCAT scale. The psychometric properties of the NCAT scale and subscales were examined using item response theory in relation to characteristics of interactions in the Barnard Model using data collected during a clinic visit at 12 months of infant age in a sample of mothers and children (N = 1,121 dyads) from a community-based sample in Shelby County, TN. In this secondary analysis, descriptive statistics, reliabilities, and factor loadings for the NCAT were obtained using confirmatory factor analysis and augmented to form multiple indicators, multiple causes models, linking demographic predictors of the mothers and children to the NCAT subscales. Results supported scale abbreviation and theoretical congruence with the Barnard Model, which may provide researchers and practitioners with a more concise, reliable way of measuring maternal-child interaction in community settings.

Applications of dialectical behavioural therapy in the perinatal period: A scoping review

“…Only two of the studies examined changes in parenting and infant‐related outcomes; both studies used the MI‐DBT group skills programme, which was specifically developed to address parenting and mother–infant relational challenges among high‐risk caregivers with BPD or significant emotion dysregulation (Sved Williams et al, 2018, 2021). Outcomes were measured using the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC; Johnston & Mash, 1989), Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ; Luyten et al, 2017), Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI‐4; Haskett et al, 2006), Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training Scale second edition (NCAST; Ransone et al, 2018), and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Social–Emotional Index (ASQ‐SE2; Squires et al, 2001).…”

Intergenerational Transmission of Effects of Women's Stressors During Pregnancy: Child Psychopathology and the Protective Role of Parenting

“…The NCAST comprises 73 items, each endorsed yes or no. This form was completed by study staff members who received rigorous training in the NCAST coding system, and was filled out by a staff member immediately after observing interactions between the mother and child as the mother teaches her child a developmentally challenging task ( 80 ). This measure has been utilized with diverse populations and has shown good internal consistency and test-retest reliability.…”