Conceptual comparison of constructs as first step in data harmonization: Parental sensitivity, child temperament, and social support as illustrations

This article presents a strategy for the initial step of data harmonization in Individual Participant Data syntheses, i.e., making decisions as to which measures operationalize the constructs of interest - and which do not. This step is vital in the process of data harmonization, because a study can only be as good as its measures. If the construct validity of the measures is in question, study results are questionable as well. Our proposed strategy for data harmonization consists of three steps. First, a unitary construct is defined based on the existing literature, preferably on the theoretical framework surrounding the construct. Second, the various instruments used to measure the construct are evaluated as operationalizations of this construct, and retained or excluded based on this evaluation. Third, the scores of the included measures are recoded on the same metric. We illustrate the use of this method with three example constructs focal to the Collaboration on Attachment Transmission Synthesis (CATS) study: parental sensitivity, child temperament, and social support. This process description may aid researchers in their data pooling studies, filling a gap in the literature on the first step of data harmonization. • Data harmonization in studies using combined datasets is of vital importance for the validity of the study results. • We have developed and illustrated a strategy on how to define a unitary construct and evaluate whether instruments are operationalizations of this construct as the initial step in the harmonization process. • This strategy is a transferable and reproducible method to apply to the data harmonization process

Adaptação transcultural para o português brasileiro do Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) Cross-cultural adaptation of Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to Brazilian Portuguese

OBJETIVO: O artigo apresenta a adaptação transcultural do Parental Bonding Instrument, um questionário auto-aplicável desenvolvido em 1979 e usado desde então para avaliar a percepção da qualidade do vínculo com os pais até os 16 anos. MÉTODO: Foram realizadas as etapas de equivalência conceitual, equivalência dos itens, equivalência semântica, equivalência operacional, equivalência funcional e aprovação da versão final pelo autor original do instrumento. RESULTADOS: Os critérios de equivalência foram satisfeitos, tendo a versão final sido aprovada pelo autor do instrumento original. CONCLUSÃO: A adaptação do Parental Bonding Instrument disponibiliza para uso um instrumento que já demonstrou ser extremamente útil em pesquisas de risco e resiliência nas últimas décadas, ao avaliar a percepção de características do comportamento dos pais tradicionalmente associadas ao desenvolvimento da personalidade.<br>OBJETIVE: This article aims to present a cross-cultural adaptation of the Parental Bonding Instrument to Brazilian Portuguese. It is a self-administered questionnaire developed in 1979, which has been used since then to measure the subjective experience of being parented to the age of 16 years. METHOD: The following steps were performed: conceptual equivalence, item equivalence, semantic equivalence, operational equivalence, functional equivalence, and approval of the final version by the author of the original instrument. RESULTS: The study has reached the objectives of equivalence, and the final Brazilian Portuguese version has been approved by the original author. CONCLUSION: The study provides a Brazilian Portuguese version of an instrument that has been proven extremely useful in risk and resilience researches over the past decades, assessing the perception of parental characteristics traditionally related to personality development