Virtual assessment of stress reactivity in young children: Practical guidelines & lessons learned

Abstract

Measures of stress reactivity and coping are critical in developmental research inchildren. Such measures assist in identifying psycho-physiological abnormalities andaid in developing interventions to avoid outcomes associated with prolonged stress.Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, measures of stress reactivity and coping were almost exclusively assessed through in-person laboratory studies. Given the importance of stress reactivity research on mitigating adverse developmental outcomes in children it was crucial to continue this research during the pandemic through pivoting to online virtual assessments. The current paper presents guidelines and lessons learned from our team’s transition from in person to virtual assessments with young children. Key learnings across a variety of areas, such as family engagement, optimal logistics of virtual assessments, and how to best adapt stress-reactivity measures at a distance are presented.