Assessment of Parent and Child Adversity Questionnaire (APCA)

Abstract

The Assessment of Parent and Child Adversity (APCA; King et al., 2023) is a comprehensive instrument designed to overcome the limitations of existing measures by providing a more nuanced characterization of adverse experiences in both parents and children. It allows for the simultaneous assessment of a parent’s and their focal child’s exposure to adversity, factoring in the developmental timing of these experiences and the child’s indirect exposure to parental adversities. The APCA’s content was meticulously developed by drawing from established measures such as the Crisis in Family Systems–Revised (CRISYS; Berry et al., 2001) and the Life Stressor Checklist–Revised (LSC-R; Wolfe et al., 1997). The instrument underwent evaluation in a sample of mothers, specifically during and post-pregnancy, when their children were aged 3 to 5 years, with reported validity results for this specific sample.

Keywords

Adverse Experiences, Child Adversity, Exposure, Parent Adversity

Authors

King, Lucy S.; Humphreys, Kathryn L.; Shaw, Gary M.; Stevenson, David K.; Gotlib, Ian H.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Assessment of Parent and Child Adversity (APCA) questionnaire is to address the shortcomings of existing measures by providing a more comprehensive and detailed characterization of adverse experiences faced by both parents and children. Furthermore, it aims to differentiate specific aspects of these adverse experiences that may influence or moderate children’s developmental outcomes.

Validity

The APCA has demonstrated validity across multiple dimensions:

• Convergent Validity: The APCA showed strong agreement with other established measures of maternal adverse experiences, maternal positive childhood experiences, and maternal symptoms of psychopathology, indicating that it measures similar constructs as these instruments.

• Criterion Validity: The instrument demonstrated its ability to predict relevant outcomes. Specifically, children whose mothers reported experiencing greater adversity, particularly during the prenatal period, exhibited more emotional and behavioral problems. Similarly, children who were directly exposed to greater adversity also showed an increased likelihood of experiencing emotional and behavioral problems.

Reliability

No reliability data is Available.

Factor Analysis

No data is Available.

Instrument: Assessment of Parent and Child Adversity (APCA)

• Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire.

• Format: The APCA is structured into three distinct sections.

  • In the first section, mothers are presented with 40 types of adversity and are required to respond with a simple “yes” or “no” to indicate their exposure.

  • The second section involves a series of follow-up questions for each adversity endorsed in the first section.

  • The final section of the APCA focuses on the child’s exposure to adversity. Mothers respond with “yes” or “no” to 15 types of adversity where the child was the primary individual exposed (e.g., bullying, accidents), even if the mother was not present. For each of these 15 experiences, mothers answer a series of follow-up questions.

  • The APCA allows for the calculation of several summary scores, including but not limited to: Maternal childhood adversity; Maternal preconception adversity; Maternal prenatal adversity; Maternal adversity since the child’s birth; Maternal cumulative adversity; Child witnessed adversity; and Child direct adversity.

• Language Available: English.

• Population Group: Human; Female.

• Age Group: The instrument is administered to mothers who are in Adulthood (18 yrs & older), specifically spanning Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs), Thirties (30-39 yrs), and Middle Age (40-64 yrs).

• Population Details: The study sample for the APCA’s evaluation consisted of mothers located in the United States.

• Test Methodology: The methodology primarily involved Test Validity, with specific focus on Convergent Validity and Criterion Validity.

Keywords

Adverse Experiences; Child Adversity; Exposure; Parent Adversity

Authors

• King, Lucy S.

  • Affiliation: Tulane University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

  • Email addresses: [email protected]

  • Correspondence Address: King, Lucy S.: Tulane University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70112, [email protected]

• Humphreys, Kathryn L.

  • Affiliation: Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University

  • Email addresses: No data is Available

• Shaw, Gary M.

  • Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7438-4914

  • Affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine

  • Email addresses: No data is Available

• Stevenson, David K.

  • Affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine

  • Email addresses: No data is Available

• Gotlib, Ian H.

  • Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University School of Medicine

  • Email addresses: No data is Available

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

• Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author.

• Commercial: No.

• Fee: No.

• Test Year: 2023.

References

King, L. S., Humphreys, K. L., Shaw, G. M., Stevenson, D. K., & Gotlib, I. H. (2023). Validation of the Assessment of Parent and Child Adversity (APCA) in mothers and young children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 52(5), 686–701. doi:10.1080/15374416.2022.2042696

Items of the Assessment of Parent and Child Adversity (APCA)

Test Items are not available.