A Child-Centered Scale of Informal Social Control for Latino Parents of Preschool-Age Children: Development and Validation. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cerin, Ester; O'Connor, Teresia M.; Mendoza, Jason A.; Thompson, Deborah I.; Lee, Rebecca E.; Hughes, Sheryl O.; Baranowski, Tom
• Is Part Of: Hispanic journal of behavioral sciences. Volume 37:Number 4(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 541
• Page End: 559
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: preschool-age children -- Latino -- physical activity -- informal social control -- factorial structure; Hispanic Americans -- Mental health -- Periodicals; Hispanic Americans -- Psychology -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.1177/0739986315601616
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0739-9863

Abstract

Perceived neighborhood informal social control may determine whether parents allow their young children to be physically active in the neighborhood. We developed and validated a scale of neighborhood child-centered informal social control appropriate for Latino parents of preschool-age children. The scale was administered to 240 Latino parents, mainly mothers, recruited from neighborhoods cross-stratified by objectively measured crime and traffic safety. Participants completed measures of community cohesion, perceived signs of physical and social disorder, traffic safety and hazards, and perceived stranger danger. A subsample was reassessed 1 week later to determine test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to examine the fit of the data to a priori measurement models. Construct validity was assessed by estimating the associations of the scale with the other measures. The scale showed good test-retest reliability, and factorial and construct validity. The scale needs to be cross-validated on other samples and Latino fathers.