The development and validation of the parental roles in intervention task tool for use with parents of children with a disability

Abstract

This study develops and preliminarily validates the PRITT, an instrument to measure the parental role in intervention, for use with young children with a disability. Parental roles in intervention, i.e., the tasks and responsibilities that parents perform in intervention, are widely reported to be important for intervention outcomes. A quantitative instrument to measure parental roles in intervention has potential clinical applications to initiate negotiations about the roles parents may want to assume and the supports they require to perform the tasks associated with these roles. Additionally, the measure has applications as a research tool to empirically test relationships implied in the literature. A mixed method design was employed for the instrument development and validation. Phase 1 included instrument construction whereby items were generated from a scoping review and a Likert-type response scale was selected. In Phase 2 content and face validity of the PRITT were established and the survey questionnaire was piloted. During Phase 3, the online survey questionnaire was administered to parents of young children with a disability enrolled in rehabilitation interventions (i.e., occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech-language therapy) in South Africa. In Phase 4 of the study, the underlying factor structure of the PRITT was explored and internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses were conducted. Results indicate that the preliminary validity and reliability have been established for the PRITT for use with parents of young children with a disability. Refinements of the PRITT are recommended based on future administrations with a more diversely representative sample of South African parents.