2021 · Study · English

Adaptation of the Communities That Care Youth Survey for use in Brazil: A pilot study

Corrêa, A. de O., Brown, E. C., Murta, S. G., & Briney, J. S.

Corrêa, A. de O., Brown, E. C., Murta, S. G., & Briney, J. S. (2021). Adaptation of the Communities That Care Youth Survey for use in Brazil: A pilot study. Health Promotion International, 37(2), Article daab109. doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daab109

Summary

Pilot study of the Brazilian adaptation of the Communities That Care Youth Survey (CTCYS), motivated by the need for valid risk-factor measures as Brazilian authorities import evidence-based prevention programmes. The adapted questionnaire retained 25 risk factors plus measures of substance use and antisocial behaviour; it was translated into Brazilian Portuguese, revised on the advice of local experts and completed by 926 pupils in one Brazilian community. Internal consistency was acceptable for every scale except Academic Failure and Rebelliousness, and confirmatory factor analyses showed good fit for most measurement models, usually after minor modifications. The authors present the results as a foundation for using the CTCYS in Brazil to assess community levels of adolescent risk and to evaluate prevention programmes. For European sites the paper is a useful template of what a careful, low-cost adaptation of the survey involves and which scales tend to need attention when the instrument crosses a language border.