[Parent-reported Health-Related Quality of Life in Spanish pre-schoolers: Psychometric properties of the Kiddy-KINDL-R]. / Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud informada por los padres en preescolares españoles: propiedades psicométricas del Kiddy-KINDL-R.

INTRODUCTION: Although several tools have been developed to assess general HRQoL in children, parental reports are required to supplement this information, especially in very young children. The parents version of the Kiddy-KINDL-R was developed to assess HRQoL in children aged 3 to 7 years through the reports of their parents or legal guardians. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to validate the parents version of the Kiddy-KINDL-R questionnaire and assess its psychometric properties in a sample of Spanish preschool-aged children. METHOD: Cross-sectional study in 283 parents or legal guardians of children aged 3 to 6 years that completed the Kiddy-KINDL-R questionnaire and an additional scale to assess anxiety problems. We performed confirmatory factor analysis to assess whether the original Kiddy-KINDL-R version fit the Spanish data; we assessed internal consistency by means of the ordinal alpha and the discriminant validity by means of the Preschool Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: Although the original six-factor model showed a good fit, we propose a model consisting of 22 items and the same 6 factors for the Spanish version. The reliability was excellent, and the internal consistency values were adequate. Our results showed significant negative correlations between the Kiddy-KINDL-R and the external anxiety measure, which was evidence of discriminant validity. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the Spanish version of the Kiddy-KINDL-R had good psychometric properties and that this questionnaire is an adequate assessment tool that could be useful in clinical practice.

Spanish validation of the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale.

BACKGROUND: The Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) is a 28-item measure designed to assess anxiety symptoms in preschoolers aged 31 to 83 months. METHODS: The present study aims to extend the literature by examining the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the PAS in a Spanish community sample of 274 preschoolers aged 3 to 7 years. RESULTS: Factor analysis confirmed the five-factor original model after removing eight items, suggesting a shorter 20-item version for the Spanish preschoolers. The scale demonstrated to have good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.84). Moderate but significant correlations with a measure of health-related quality of life supported the convergent validity of the PAS. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the PAS demonstrated to have good psychometric properties, providing these results initial support to its use for assessing a broad range of anxiety symptoms in Spanish-speaking preschoolers.

Maternal Anxiety and Separation Anxiety in Children Aged Between 3 and 6 Years: The Mediating Role of Parenting Style.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal anxiety is known to be associated with childhood separation anxiety. However, there is little research on the mediating factors of this relationship, despite the possible consequences separation anxiety might have for children's development and autonomy. The objective of this study was to analyze the possible mediating effects of 4 parenting styles (overprotective, assertive, punitive, and inhibited) on the relationship between maternal anxiety and child separation anxiety. METHODS: Participants were 235 mothers with children aged 3 to 6 years, recruited from 6 preschools in the southeast of Spain. Maternal trait anxiety, maternal parenting style, and child separation anxiety were evaluated. RESULTS: A parallel multiple-mediation analysis revealed that the overprotective parenting style was a significant mediator of the relationship between maternal trait anxiety and child separation anxiety. In addition, mothers with higher trait anxiety scores exhibited a greater likelihood of using an overprotective, punitive, or less assertive parenting style. Younger mothers were more likely to use an overprotective parenting style, and compared with girls, boys were more exposed to the assertive style. CONCLUSION: This study provides initial evidence that parenting style acts as a mediator of the relationship between maternal anxiety and child separation anxiety.