Schneider, Tiffany; (1999) Measuring adaptation in middle childhood: The development of the Hampstead Child Adaptation Measure (HCAM). Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), University of London.

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Abstract

Despite the important developmental tasks and prevalence of psychopathology encountered during middle childhood, this aspect of maturity remains relatively neglected, particularly in the area of treatment effectiveness. In the absence of such research findings, statutory authorities responsible for health, education and social services are currently funding therapy interventions for children, with little evidence of which interventions are most effective for specific disturbances and age groups. Although research in this area is increasing, one significant obstacle prevails, the absence of psychometrically sound measures appropriate for outcome assessment. This thesis presents the development of the Hampstead Child Adaptation Measure (HCAM), an interview-based protocol designed to address this issue by measuring adaptive and maladaptive behaviour, while remaining sensitive to change due to therapeutic intervention. A review of the literature concerning adaptive and maladaptive development in middle childhood is presented as are the issues concerning assessment of functioning in children. Manualisation of the HCAM ratings and interview protocol is introduced including reliability between raters. Psychometric properties of this measure are established, including consistency over time; an attempt at the standardisation of the HCAM on a normative UK population. Concurrent validity of the HCAM in relation to measures of symptomatology, mood, psycho-social adjustment and adaptation are also investigated. Two longitudinal studies, following children over two, then three years, are presented and finally discriminant validity is investigated in a study comparing the normative sample with a clinically referred sample of children. These findings are discussed in relation to evaluation needs in evidence based service delivery and alternative measures of the functioning and adaptational domains.

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