Assessing childhood community experiences

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2024-09, Vol.164, p.107851, Article 107851
• Main Authors: Addante, Samantha, Kraft, Jacob D., Clement, Déjà, Erato Garza, Gina, Quigley, Ashley, Armans, Mira, Fields Creech, Kristin, Oliphant, Vanessa, Wingate, LaRicka, Ciciolla, Lucia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adversity; Community experiences; Community protection; Community risk; Factor analysis; Resilience
• ISSN: 0190-7409
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107851

•The Childhood Community Experiences Scale (CCES) is designed as a brief, self-report measure to retrospectively assess community-level childhood experiences, including circumstances and events that are conceptualized as risk factors and protective factors.•Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic strategies were used to examine the factor structure of the Childhood Community Experiences Scale (CCES), comprised of the Community Risk Scale and the Community Protective Scale.•This study provides validation data on the CCES and expands our understanding of the associations between community risk and protective factors and psychological health and psychosocial functioning in adulthood. Community-level childhood experiences make up important aspects of early life that are associated with long-term health outcomes. However, to date, there have been no validated measures that assess community-level experiences during childhood. Thus, we aimed to develop and validate a measure that would assess community-level experiences associated with both risk and resilience. Data were collected from 577 undergraduate participants (68.7% female). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic strategies were used to examine the factor structure of the Childhood Community Experiences Scale (CCES) comprised of the Community Risk Scale and the Community Protective Scale. Convergent validity and predictive utility of the CCES with existing measures of individual risk and resilience and adult psychosocial functioning were also examined. Results indicated a 5-factor solution for the Community Risk Scale and a 6-factor solution for the Community Protective Scale to fit the data best. Further, results suggest the convergent validity and predictive utility of the CCES with measures of adult psychosocial functioning. This measure allows for a brief, self-report assessment that can be used to assess childhood community-level risk and protective factors.