We developed an internalizing module for the Knowledge of Effective Parenting Test (KEPT) to assess parenting knowledge of skills and strategies relevant to helping children manage their internalizing symptoms using an item response theory (IRT) framework. An initial item pool (40 items) was drafted and administered online to a large national sample of parents/guardians of school-age children (5 to 12 years) selected to match the U.S. population on key demographic variables (N = 1,000). Weak and biased items were dropped from the final measure. The outcome is a 22-item internalizing module for the KEPT with strong indices of reliability and validity. A brief (10-item) version of the instrument was also developed to allow for efficient administration in the context of longitudinal and intervention research. We provide norms (raw scores, theta scores, and T-scores) for both the 22-item version (KEPT-I) and the 10-item version (Brief KEPT-I). The study resulted in a new assessment tool that measures parenting knowledge relevant to internalizing symptoms in children. The new tool has strong psychometric properties and potential use for developmental research and treatment outcome trials.
Lindhiem et al. (Thu,) studied this question.