Oklahoma Infant Mental Health Survey **(Williamson, Huffer, Morris, and Hays-Grudo, 2015)
Responsive Caregiving (α=.83)
Responding quickly to a baby’s crying just encourages the baby to become more demanding. (reversed)
Babies often need help from caregivers to calm down. (reversed)
The more you comfort crying babies by holding and talking to them, the more you will spoil them. (reversed)
Sometimes babies need to be spanked. (reversed)
Responding quickly to a toddler’s crying just encourages the toddler to become more demanding. (reversed)
Toddlers often need help from caregivers to calm down.
The more you comfort crying toddlers by holding and talking to them, the more you will spoil them. (reversed)
Sometimes toddlers need to be spanked. (reversed)
Spanking teaches children that it is okay to hit other people.
Knowledge of Development (α=.75)
Exploring the environment is necessary for the healthy development of babies.
Babies have other ways of communicating besides crying.
Predictable routines are not important for babies. (reversed)
Exploring the environment is necessary for the healthy development of toddlers.
Toddlers have other ways of communicating besides crying.
Predictable routines are not important for toddlers. (reversed)
A healthy relationship with a parent (or guardian) is critical to a baby and toddler’s social and emotional development.
Infant Mental Health Awareness (α=.75)
Babies can get depressed.
If something bad happens to a baby, it will not matter because they will not remember it. (reversed)
Toddlers can get depressed.
If something bad happens to a toddler, it will not matter because they will not remember it. (reversed)
I am familiar with professionals that provide mental health services to babies and toddlers.
Things that happen before the age of 3 have no impact later in life. (reversed)
I know what the phrase “infant mental health” means.
Neglect/abuse has a negative impact on a young child’s mental health.
Public policies that promote services for babies and toddlers are beneficial to society.
I have heard of the phrase “infant mental health”.
ECE Practices and IMH (α=.69)
Childcare teachers can have a lifelong impact on the development of the babies in their care.
Childcare teachers should limit how much time they spend holding and cuddling babies because the babies need to learn to be more independent. (reversed)
Childcare teachers can have a lifelong impact on the development of the toddlers in their care.
Childcare teachers should limit how much time they spend holding and cuddling toddlers because the toddlers need to learn to be more independent. (reversed)
Childcare policies that support the idea of babies and toddlers having the same teacher over time (more than one year) would benefit our society.
It is important to have several teachers in childcare classrooms with babies and toddlers so that they don’t become too attached to a specific caregiver. (reversed)
*All items are scored on 1 to 5 scale, 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree
***Huffer, A., Williamson, A.C., Morris, A.S., Hays-Grudo, J., & Bosler, C. (May, 2016). Infant mental health awareness: Initial findings from the Oklahoma Infant Mental Health Survey. 15th World Congress of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. Prague, Czech Republic.