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Universal Psychosocial Indicator for five year old children (UPSI-5)
Between 2007 and 2010, ICDI conducted a study with financial support of Plan Netherlands with a view to developing a ‘rough-and-ready’, user-friendly instrument that could be used to measure psycho-social wellbeing of five-year-old children around the world.
The result of the research project has been the development of the UPSI-5 questionnaire, a list with 29 statements relating to the psychosocial well-being of five-year-old boys and girls. The 29 questions that make up UPSI-5 were selected from the original ‘long list’ of 94 items that ICDI had developed drawing on literature around psychosocial wellbeing and existing tests and indicators. The long list was tested with educators in six countries: Bulgaria, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and South Africa. Following statistical analysis of the test results, a selection was made of the questions that appeared universally valid.
The 29 statements can be easily scored by ticking ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ either in a green or a red box. When for instance, 10% of a representative sample of young children score more than five (5) 'in the red', then there is reason to be concerned about the psychosocial well being of 10% of the broader population of five-year old children in the setting from which the sample has been drawn. This can serve as an indication that programmatic intervention may be called for to address the issues underlying the low psychosocial wellbeing of five-year old girls and boys in that setting (n.b. what the underlying causes for the low psychosocial wellbeing are would require additional research; the UPSI-5 does not provide this information). The original finding of 10% low psychosocial wellbeing could then serve as the baseline indicator.
Currently, there are no internationally agreed upon standards as to what might be considered minimum or maximum percentages of (five-year old) children in a given setting or region that could be defined as psychosocially 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'. This arguably important issue is one ICDI intends to explore with its partners around the world in the years to come.
The UPSI-5 questionnaire is freely available. It is important to note however, that it was designed to be administered by professionals such as educators and/or social workers, and that the UPSI-5 is not an instrument to be used for individual diagnosis. The UPSI-5 is first and foremost a user friendly global screening tool, and as such has real meaning when applied to large populations of children. It was designed with a view to establishing an arguably, much needed counterpart to the strictly physical indicator of the health of young boys and girls, the Under-Five Mortality Rate or, for their nutritional status, such ‘crude’ devices as the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference tape.
Update December 2011: Currently ICDI is receiving a small grant from Liberty Foundation to further develop the lay out of UPSI-5, create a digital version and develop a printed version.
More information:
For more information about the study, please click the link to the UPSI-5 summary below. A copy of the UPSI-5 instrument and a fully referenced report are available on request (please contact Esther Miedema, esther@icdi.nl).
Appendices:
upsi_5_summary.pdf
