Methodological Aspects

Methodological Aspects of theQuestionnaire C4U

Methodological Aspects of the C4U Questionnaire

1. Content Validity

• Ensures that items represent core concepts of interest.
• Measurement Aim: Predictive, anticipates outcomes, identifies health risks and quality-of-life indicators.
• Based on Signal Detection Theory (SDT): unborn child as an active interpreter of signals.
• Operates as a regression model exploring preconception → fetal life → birth → postnatal period.
• Includes a phenomenological approach: values subjective experiences, requires attentive listening.

2. Target Population

• Applicable to the general population (shared primal experiences).
• Useful when individuals cannot self-report (infants, illness, crisis).
• Parents—preferably mother, or father if needed—act as respondents.
• Recognizes variability in responses but offers reliable second-best data.

3. Concepts to Be Measured

• Core construct: Primal Health.
• Correlates primal period with later health, adaptation, resilience, and psychopathology.
• Focuses on the Primal Adaptive System (early adaptation mechanisms).
• Assesses long-term impact on wellbeing, personality, and quality of life.

4. Item Selection and Reduction

• Priority given to reliable informants (mother, father, both).
• Emotional and mental stability of respondents required.
• Non-relevant or redundant items excluded for clarity.

5. Interpretability of Items

• Designed for ease of use: short, simple, and clear.
• Can be explained by practitioners if medical terminology appears.

6. Internal Consistency

• Items intercorrelated, measuring Primal Health consistently.
• Recognizes multidimensional, non-linear nature of development.
• Responses evaluated on three scales: Optimal, Mild, Severe.

7. Criterion Validity

• Benchmarked against decades of prenatal and perinatal research.
• Provides validated standards for comparison.

8. Construct Validity

• Strong theoretical foundation from psychology, medicine, and prenatal sciences (1920s–today).
• Encourages use of established hypotheses for interpretation.

9. Reproducibility

• Accounts for evolving subjective narratives over time.
• Primal experiences remain stable and influential across life.
• Follow-up enriches insights and data depth.

10. Validity and Reliability

• Validity: Measures what it intends (Primal Health).
• Reliability: Consistent, logical, stable results (high test–retest reliability).

11. Responsiveness

• Detects meaningful differences and changes across three domains:
  • Factual Data (e.g., conception method, birth complications).
  • Perceptions and Feelings (emotional experiences, bonding).
  • Parental Perspectives (especially fathers on maternal experience).