Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric properties of the screen-based media use Questionnaire (ScreenQ) for Brazilian toddlers and preschoolers

Tradução, adaptação transcultural e propriedades psicométricas do questionário de uso de mídia com telas (ScreenQ) para crianças brasileiras na primeira infância

Introduction:  Beyond the time spent on screen-based devices, understanding the context, the content, and patterns of use among children is crucial for developing specific guidance for families, caregivers, and childcare providers. Recently, a questionnaire (i.e., ScreenQ) incorporating these contexts and patterns of use was developed and validated.

Objetive:  To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and test the psychometric properties of the ScreenQ for Brazilian toddlers and preschoolers.

Methods:  The ScreenQquestionnaire consists of 16 items across four dimensions: access to screens, frequency of use, content, and co-viewing. The validation process included the translation, adaptation, and back-translation, involving experts (n = 5) and a target subgroup of parents (n = 10); and psychometric analyses, including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, with a sample of 328 parents of children aged 0 to 5 years from all regions of Brazil.

Results:  The semantic, idiomatic, and conceptual equivalence of the final version were satisfactory. The psychometric analysis demonstrated acceptable results, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.836 to 0.849 and fit indices for the confirmatory factor analysis model being acceptable (Comparative Fit Index = 0.912; Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation = 0.062; 95% CI: 0.051 - 0.073).

Conclusion:  This is the first validated questionnaire for screen-based media use among Brazilian toddlers and preschoolers. Future research in Brazil can utilize the Brazilian version of the ScreenQ to explore the implications of screen-based device use patterns on child outcomes.

Keywords:
Validation; Questionnaire; Children; Screen-based media