Can we measure what was never there? Creating a new way to assess childhood emotional neglect

All data analysis will be conducted using jamovi, a free open source statistical software. Before primary analyses, data will be cleaned and prepared according to the following steps:

Phase 1: Data Cleaning and Preparation

1. Export raw data from SurveyMonkey in CSV format.
2. Review for missing data patterns and assess whether missing data is random or systematic.
3. Flag and remove incomplete responses below the minimum completion threshold.
4. Flag and remove responses from participants who failed multiple attention checks.
5. Examine distributional properties and descriptive statistics for all study variables.
6. Check for univariate and multivariate outliers.
7. Reverse score applicable items on established measures per their scoring manuals.

Phase 2: Reliability Analysis

Internal consistency of the CENOS will be evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficients for:

1. The total CENOS scale
2. The Repair Omission Index (ROI) subscale independently
3. The Relational Repair Index (RRI) subscale independently

Acceptable reliability will be defined as α ≥ 0.70 consistent with established psychometric standards.

Phase 3: Convergent Validity

Convergent validity will be assessed through Pearson correlations between:

1. CENOS total scores and PBI Care subscale scores
2. CENOS total scores and GASP shame subscale scores
3. CENOS total scores and TAS-20 total scores
4. ROI subscale scores and PBI scores
5. RRI subscale scores and GASP and TAS-20 scores

Significant correlations in theoretically expected directions will provide preliminary evidence of convergent validity.

Phase 4: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

EFA will be conducted to examine the underlying factor structure of the CENOS and determine whether items load onto the proposed domains. Decisions regarding factor retention will be guided by:

1. Parallel analysis
2. Scree plot examination
3. Interpretability of factor solutions
4. Item factor loadings ≥ 0.40 considered acceptable for retention

Phase 5: Mediation Analysis

Mediation analysis using bootstrapping procedures will be conducted to test the core hypothesis of the ORR model:

That maladaptive shame-driven response patterns mediate the relationship between childhood emotional neglect (as measured by the ROI) and impaired adult relational repair capacity (as measured by the RRI).

The following pathways will be examined:

1. Direct effect of CEN on ARC
2. Indirect effect of CEN on ARC through shame-driven response patterns
3. Indirect effect of CEN on ARC through affect integration difficulties
4. Total effect model

Phase 6: Reporting

Findings will be interpreted with appropriate caution given the pilot nature of the study. Results will be used to:

1. Identify items requiring revision or removal
2. Evaluate preliminary support for the ORR model's proposed mediation pathway
3. Inform the design of future large scale validation studies
4. Contribute to conference presentations and peer reviewed publication