Validation of the Communication Profile-Adapted in Ethiopian children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Caterina Ceccarelli; Ioannis Bakolis; Bethlehem Tekola; Mersha Kinfe; Anton Borissov; Fikirte Girma; Rehana Abdurahman; Tigist Zerihun; Charlotte Hanlon; Rosa A. Hoekstra

doi:10.1017/gmh.2021.44

Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health (Jan 2021)

Validation of the Communication Profile-Adapted in Ethiopian children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Caterina Ceccarelli,
Ioannis Bakolis,
Bethlehem Tekola,
Mersha Kinfe,
Anton Borissov,
Fikirte Girma,
Rehana Abdurahman,
Tigist Zerihun,
Charlotte Hanlon,
Rosa A. Hoekstra

Affiliations

Caterina Ceccarelli: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Ioannis Bakolis: Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK Centre for Implementation Science, Health Services and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Bethlehem Tekola: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Mersha Kinfe: Department of Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Capacity-Building, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Anton Borissov: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Fikirte Girma: Department of Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Capacity-Building, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Rehana Abdurahman: Department of Psychiatry, Yekatit 12 Hospital and Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tigist Zerihun: Department of Psychiatry, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Charlotte Hanlon: Department of Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Capacity-Building, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Centre for Global Mental Health, Department of Health Services and Population Research and WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research and Capacity-Building, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK King's Global Health Institute, King's College London, London, UK
Rosa A. Hoekstra: ORCiD; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK King's Global Health Institute, King's College London, London, UK

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2021.44
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8

Abstract

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Abstract Background Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are conditions affecting a child's cognitive, behavioural, and emotional development. Appropriate and validated outcome measures for use in children with NDDs in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. The aim of this study was to validate the Communication Profile Adapted (CP-A), a measure developed in East Africa to assess caregivers' perception of communication among children with NDDs. Methods We adapted the CP-A for use in Ethiopia, focusing on the communicative mode (CP-A-mode) and function (CP-A-function) scales. The CP-A was administered to a representative sample of caregivers of children with NDDs and clinical controls. We performed an exploratory factor analysis and determined the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, within-scale, known-group, and convergent validity of the identified factors. Results Our analysis included N = 300 participants (N = 139 cases, N = 139 clinical controls, N = 22 who did not meet criteria for either cases or controls). Within the CP-A-mode, we identified two factors (i.e. verbal and physical communication); the CP-A-function scale was unidimensional. Combining both scales into one summary variable (the CP-A-total) resulted in a scale with excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97; Kappa = 0.60–0.95, p < 0.001; ICC = 0.97, p < 0.001). Testing known-group validity, the CP-A-total scores were significantly higher for controls than cases (Δ mean = 33.93, p < 0.001). Convergent validity assessment indicated that scores were negatively and moderately correlated with clinical severity (ρ = −0.25, p = 0.04). Conclusion The CP-A is a valid tool for the assessment of communication among children with NDDs in Ethiopia. It holds promise as a brief, quantitative, and culturally appropriate outcome measure for use in sub-Saharan Africa.

Published in Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health

ISSN: 2054-4251 (Online)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-mental-health

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