Co-design and qualitative validation of animated assessment item content for a child-reported digital distress screener

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Digital Health Tools
• User Experience Research

Background:

• The Interactive Child Distress Screener (ICDS) is a novel digital tool for assessing emotional and behavioral distress in children aged 5-11.
• Validating assessment content from a child's perspective is crucial for accurate self-reporting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To qualitatively validate the content of 30 animated assessment items for the ICDS.
• To assess the acceptability and accuracy of animated items from the perspective of children.
• To implement a generative participatory codesign and iterative refinement process.

Main Methods:

• Involved 62 children aged five to 11 years.
• Individual interviews were conducted to assess item acceptability and validity.
• Facilitated co-design refinement of animated assessment items based on child feedback.

Main Results:

• 73% of animated items met consensus (≥80% satisfaction and accuracy) in their original format.
• 20% required one refinement round, and 7% required two refinement rounds.
• High overall acceptability was reported, with scores ranging from 4.1 to 5 out of 5.

Conclusions:

• Children accurately identified and understood socio-emotional and behavioral constructs presented as animated items.
• Participatory design and iterative refinement are vital for developing child-centered, effective assessment tools.
• The ICDS animated items demonstrate high acceptability and potential for accurate self-report in children.