Preliminary acceptability and psychometrics of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA): A new adult-report questionnaire

The preliminary acceptability, internal consistency, test-retest reliabilit y, and validity of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSE A), a parent-report questionnaire concerning social-emotional problems and competencies, were examined in a sociodemographically diverse pediatric sam ple of 214 parents of 12- to 36-month-olds. Results supported the ITSEA's a cceptability and preliminary internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity. Most parents had a positive response to the ITSEA, found the questions easy to understand, and would consider recommending it to a frie nd. Confirmatory factor analyses supported 16 conceptually hypothesized pro blem and competence scales. Most scales had strong internal consistency, go od to excellent 2-week test-retest reliability, and moderate 1-year test-re test reliability. Significant correlations among ITSEA scales and parent re ports of child temperament and problem behaviors supported the ITSEA's vali dity. Psychometric findings are viewed as preliminary due to the relatively small sample size. Parents reported greater competence and more maladaptiv e behaviors in older children than younger children. Consistent with observ ational studies, boys lagged behind girls in certain parent-reported compet encies, including empathy, compliance, prosocial peer interactions, and emo tional awareness. Parent reports yielded empirically coherent problem and c ompetence scales and domains, suggesting the early emergence of parental pe rceptions of organized and differentiated clusters of social-emotional beha viors.