Reliability and validity of instruments to measure pre-school children's reaction to and coping with noise

Abstract

Population surveys in Sweden indicate that noise in general and noise inside or around schools in particular is a main source of disturbance among children. The noise levels at schools and preschools are high. Since Swedish preschool children (aged 1,5-6 yrs) spend most of their waking time at preschools, the amount of daily exposure is also high. Very little is known about how young children are affected by and how they cope with noise. In order to better understand young children's reactions, a study was performed among preschool children. This study consisted of a qualitative and quantitative part, the latter including a before and after measurement. Results of the qualitative study gave insight into how children describe their sound environment and how they emotionally respond to it. Based on that, a questionnaire was developed, about bodily and emotional reactions of young children to noise. The questionnaire was used in an intervention study before and after acoustical interventions at seven preschools. In the before condition 61 children aged 4-6 years were interviewed and in the after condition 59. This paper summarizes the results of psychometric analysis on these materials and describes the reliability and validity of instruments to measure reaction to noise and coping in children aged 4-6 years.