Added-Value, Advantages and Challenges of Gathering Data on Outcomes, Risk and Protective Factors in the Early Years

Introduction: As one component of Evidence2Success, a new science-based prevention framework, we have undertaken both parent-report household surveys of children from infancy to middle childhood, and school-based child-report surveys of wellbeing from middle childhood to adolescence.  This work has been carried out in two sites: one in the U.S. and one in the U.K. In this paper we describe the coverage and overlap between each approach in terms of constructs assessed, and reflect upon the advantages and disadvantages of each data collection approach.

Questions and methods: We explore two basic research questions: (1) What specific outcomes, risk and protective factors are optimal to measure at varying stages of child development as part of science-based approaches to prevention? We answer this question by presenting an overview of the conceptual and empirical underpinnings of the Evidence2Success measurement framework, including consideration of the predictive validity and malleability of each construct across development. (2) What outcomes, risk and protective factors can be assessed via school-based child self-report surveys and/or parent-report household surveys, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach? We answer this by reflecting upon the first implementation of the Evidence2Success framework in the US and UK.

Conclusions: The parent-report household survey approach generates valuable data at a community-level on critical constructs that are not otherwise available or amenable to collection via child self-report surveys in schools. These data also help engage public agencies, such as health and early childhood systems, in decision-making processes when they might not otherwise be engaged. However, these advantages are counter-balanced by limited prevention or intervention options in the early years underpinned by high standards of evidence, practical and methodological challenges in collecting parent-report data, and the financial costs of doing so. Before undertaking costly parent-report surveys, sites should carefully consider whether in their local context the advantages will outweigh the disadvantages.