Table 5 Example excerpts providing preliminary construct validity of indicators of chaos selected from the exploratory factor analysis

(15) Commotion

With the limited space, siblings going up and down stairs, parents going up and down stairs and elevated voices, it felt very chaotic in the home.

The home was calm and peaceful...Both parents… did not appear to be in any rush….. [The] home [did] not have a lot of activity going on.

(1) Interior Noise Rating

…there were six other siblings that were in the home two of which were very young and stayed in the kitchen with staff, they all spoke in their normal speaking voices, but with the small space it echoed loudly in the home and seemed louder… The smoke detector beeped during the entire visit indicating the battery needed to be changed and the washer was running during... activities.

The home was mostly quiet. The child whined..., [but] was not overly loud. Dad and sister played and read together. [They] giggled and spoke but were mostly quiet/[indoor] speaking volume. I could not hear any sounds from household appliances.

(16) Interruptions

A few minutes into the visit, multiple siblings and friends walked through the back door. They loudly spoke over one another, and it was difficult to hear [the] mom and [child] over them. Throughout the visit, mom would yell across the house at siblings to get them to do various tasks or to come join for the meal.

While family spoke often, their voices were never raised. I would describe it as using “indoor voices”.

(18) Loud Speaking

The great grandma got upset with the dogs [for barking] and yelled at them several times saying “I’m going to bust you!”

They never raised their voices to the children but were stern [at times]…

(19) Telephone Use

Mom’s phone made a lot of noise… Mom spent most of our visit looking at her phone and playing with the youngest baby.

I never heard or saw mom or dad use their phone during the visit.

(13) Cluttered Interior;

..The seven-year-old [cousin]… described losing her stuff in the home due to how cluttered it is. She [said she] carried her toys and clothes around in a trash bag to keep track of them.

Playroom had lots of interactive toys: cars with racetrack that could shoot off the cars into a loop-de-loop, play kitchen set, animated toys that sing/dance, blocks/building things. Toys were scattered around the edges of the room, or in smaller baskets, so it seemed like the space had an organization system.

(14) Crowded with Furniture

When we walked into the home, there was a living room with a couch, big chair, two desk chairs, highchair, coffee table, tv stand, and TV. In addition to the furniture, there was a guitar, big speakers, random pieces of wood, unidentified electronic devices, and lots of wires. This room was hard to navigate, and I had trouble finding a spot to do anthropometric measurements. I also felt like I kept accidentally bumping into furniture or knick-knacks on the furniture.

The living room had a couple very large couches and a round leather ottoman and coffee table, but it was not overcrowded and there was a lot of open space.... Against the back wall were many plastic bins with kids toys organized in them, and some toys out on the floor.

(17) Preparedness Rating

Survey was done hours before the visit... [When we arrived] grandma answered the door and seemed surprised we were there. [She] spent at least 3 min wrangling the dogs to get them out of the way while we waited outside.

Dad greeted us at the door promptly after we knocked. The dog was locked away upstairs before we even entered... Dad showed signs of remembering details of the study and seemed prepared for what we were doing at the home visit... Mom was running a few minutes late, but she wasn’t the primary respondent and dad had already communicated that she was be home a few minutes after we arrived prior to us showing up for the home visit. All signs indicated the family was well-prepared for our visit.

High Neighborhood Noise

Low Neighborhood Noise

(5) Exterior Noise Rating

The apartment complex... was in was on the corner of a fairly busy cross section. About 20 cars passed by in front of the home and about the same amount passed by on the other direction to the side of the building... We heard a emergency vehicle siren and honking, most likely more than one for about 3 mins or more... Occasionally heard a low rumbling of a large engine in the distance. Around the same time as the sirens, we heard a small engine airplane and then a helicopter nearby. When all was quiet, there was a faint whoosh from the traffic in the distance.

The neighborhood was very quiet. I could not hear any highway traffic, only the occasional car driving past where we were parked or a nearby street. Traffic volume was light. I only counted 4–5 cars passing by during the observation. I did not note any noise from airplanes or trains. Neighbors from across the street were walking out to their car and yelling. One person yelled, “Oh my God! Unlock the door”.

(4) Loud Ambient Sounds

In the 15 mins we sat there, 3 airplanes went by producing a very loud sound and lasting for at least a min each time.

...the sounds of a very high altitude plane flying overhead--it was so faint that I wouldn’t consider it “loud ambient” noise.

(2) Hear Exterior Noise Inside

When sitting in the living room you can hear the cars/trucks passing by from the street. Also hear people’s voices outside, one airplane sound, and music (possibly coming from a different apartment but also may be outside). [I rated it] as very noisy because of the multiple sounds.

I was not able to hear any noise coming from outside, even when we were hanging around the front door to hide out of site during the meal

(3) Rating of Exterior Noise Audible Inside

...the sound from the road traffic outside was very noticeable inside the home. The adult’s bedroom shared the wall that faced the street, and so did the main living space. Child’s room was towards the back of the house. I could hear regular passenger vehicles, but especially large semi’s as they drove past.

I was only able to hear some of the traffic from outside when we were hiding out of sight by the front door.