Factors Influencing the Duration of Griffiths III Assessment

Introduction: Griffiths Scale of Child Development, 3rd Edition (Griffiths III) is a comprehensive developmental assessment tool for children under six. The assessment duration, which typically takes 60 to 90 minutes, is influenced by various factors, making it a crucial aspect of child developmental research. Objective: The study aimed to determine the factors influencing the duration of the Griffith III assessment. We hope the finding will help enhance its effectiveness and utility, improving the overall assessment process. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study to identify factors influencing Griffiths III assessment duration in children aged 3 to 5 years. Prolonged Griffiths duration is defined as time taken for Griffiths longer than average time of the cohort. Factors such as age groups, developmental percentiles, gender, ethnicity, parents’ education, assessor’s working experience and assessment time were analysed using univariable, simple and binary logistic regression. Results: One hundred twenty-five subjects were included in this study. The Griffiths III’s mean (SD) duration was 90.2 (20.2) minutes (min). Univariable analysis showed mean difference (MD) for Chinese subjects as 15.3 min (95% CI: 8.57, 21.95), subjects with developmental profiles above the 3rd percentile (MD = -6.3 min, 95% CI: -13.65, 1.10), assessment done before 5 pm (MD = 8.2 min, 95% CI:-1.05, 17.52) and assessors with less than 10 years working experience (MD = 7.7 min, 95% CI: 0.58, 14.82). However, multivariable analysis only showed that the subject’s ethnicity remained a significant factor contributing to longer assessment duration. [Adjusted OR (95% CI): 3.3 (1.39, 7.86), p=0.007]. Conclusion: The child’s ethnicity was the only independent predictive factor of prolonged Griffiths III assessment in Sarawak children.