The Amharic version Infant-Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (IT-HOME) tool validation

The Amharic version Infant-Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (IT-HOME) tool validation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Amharic version Infant-Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (IT-HOME) tool validation Anemut Mehari, Emebet Mulugeta This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7426769/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Psychology → Version 1 posted 17 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A child's future development is greatly influenced by their home environment. This includes their cognitive, social, and emotional growth. However, a culturally validated and reliable tool to measure home environment in Ethiopia is still missing. This study aims to validate the IT-HOME instrument for infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years. It guarantees the instrument fits the culture and has good psychometric quality. Experts subjected a total of 45 items to review and content validity analysis. We administered a final 43 items and collected data from 458 participants. The researcher split the data in half and subjected it to EFA and CFA. Validity, reliability, and measurement invariance were computed. The finding showed that six sub-constructs were identified. There are 22 items, with 3 to 5 items in each subscale. The tool is valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate to measure home environments. It also functions effectively for both male and female infants and toddlers. The validated tool shows how effectively the tool evaluates the home environments of infants and toddlers. It gives practitioners and researchers a dependable way to spot risky environments and tailor interventions. Validation IT-HOME factor analysis measurement invariance Ethiopia Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files AnnexI.docx AnnexII.docx AnnexIII.docx AnnexIV.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Psychology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 07 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 23 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 15 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 23 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 02 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 31 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 31 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7426769","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":561942883,"identity":"55956b82-8ed0-47b0-bfed-4feb43e1b707","order_by":0,"name":"Anemut 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