Community Warriors: Development and Validation of a Social and Emotional Well-Being Tool for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Youth

Objective

To develop and validate two age-specific, strength-based measures of social and emotional well-being (SEWB) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth.

Methods

Following development of a conceptual framework comprising six domains of SEWB and identification of existing SEWB tools, an iterative process of item refinement took place. Items were assigned to corresponding SEWB domains, and their content validity and face validity were examined. Community-Controlled Health Services provided expert feedback. Statistical analyses were conducted to assess floor and ceiling effects, item redundancy, network structure, item stability, model fit and reliability. An ant colony optimisation (ACO) algorithm was employed to identify a reduced number of items with adequate model fit.

Design

Data on SEWB were generated as part of the baseline assessment for a national study involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

Setting

11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities from six states and territories.

Participants

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth aged 2–18 years.

Main Outcome Measures

Network structure, item stability, model fit and reliability and reduced scales.

Results

Different sets of items were developed to accommodate the needs of different age groups. A total of 235 participants and 162 guardians answered the self-report and the carer-report tool, respectively. A unidimensional structure was identified for both scales. Adequate item stability, model fit and reliability were obtained.

Conclusions

The short versions of the SEWB tools offer a friendly, age-appropriate and time-efficient approach while capturing all relevant domains of SEWB.