A Child-Centered Scale of Informal Social Control for Latino Parents of Preschool-Age Children: Development and Validation

Ester Cerin, Teresia M. O’Connor, Jason A. Mendoza, Deborah I. Thompson, Rebecca Lee, Sheryl O. Hughes, Tom Baranowski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)541-559
Number of pages19
JournalHispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences
Volume37
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2015

Keywords

  • Latino
  • factorial structure
  • informal social control
  • physical activity
  • preschool-age children

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Cultural Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Linguistics and Language

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