Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales Research Articles

Effect of the INSIGHT Responsive Parenting Intervention on Parenting and Child Behavior at Ages 3 and 6 Years

To examine effects of the INSIGHT study responsive parenting (RP) intervention on reported and observed general parenting and child behavior during early and middle childhood. Primiparous mother-newborn dyads (n=279) were randomized to RP intervention or a safety control, with intervention content delivered at research nurse home visits at infant ages 3-4, 16, 28, and 40weeks and research center visits at 1 and 2years. At age 3 (n=220) and 6years (n=171) parenting and child behavior were observed during dyadic interactions and coded using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales. Mothers also reported on child behavior (age 3) and aspects of general parenting (age 6) via the Child Behavior Checklist and The Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire, respectively. RP group children had fewer mother-reported externalizing (F=8.69, P=.004) and problem behaviors at age 3 (F=4.53, P=.03), and higher observed prosocial (F=4.73, P=.03) and lower antisocial (ie, externalizing; F=4.79, P=.03) behavior at age 6 vs controls. There were no study group differences in observed maternal sensitivity at age 3 or 6years. At age 6, RP group mothers reported higher use of structure defined by establishing consistent rules and routines (F=5.45, P=.02) and organization of their child's environment (F=7.12, P=.008) compared with controls. The INSIGHT RP intervention increased parental organization of the child's environment to facilitate competence, and had beneficial impacts on child behavior at 3 and 6years. No impacts were found on maternal sensitivity in childhood. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01167270.

Parents' Interactive Problem-Solving Behavior and Emotion Studied With Audio Compared With Video Source.

Parents' communication and problem-solving interaction with each other and with clinicians influences the caregiving of infants with a chronic health problem, making in-depth study of this interaction critical for design of interventions to support caregiving. This study, however, has been severely limited by lack of observational methods that can be applied in home, clinic and community settings. The Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales provide comprehensive description of communicative and problem-solving behavior and emotion, but have only been applied to video-recorded interaction. Audio recording, in contrast to video recording, has the advantage of being unobtrusive, readily accessible, and generally acceptable, increasing the opportunity for focused examination and intervention of parents' interaction with each other or with clinicians. Our study objective was to examine the agreement of scores obtained on parents' interactive problem-solving behavior coded with the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales using an audio-recorded source for coding compared with coding from a video-recorded source. In secondary analysis, audio-recordings were derived from video recordings of 15 parent-parent interactions. Audio recordings were created and coded blind of the original video recording and coding. Using Gwet's AC1 coefficient, agreement was at least moderate (0.61 - 0.80) for 69.1% of paired codes, signifying reliability of coding from audio recording for most codes. Selected Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales can be used with acceptable reliability for coding parents' interactive problem-solving behavior from audio source, advancing the study of parent interactive-problem solving behavior and potentially parents' problem solving with clinicians.

Family Implicit Rules, Shame, and Adolescent Prosocial and Antisocial Communication Behaviors

This study examined the relationship between implicit family process rules and adolescent prosocial and antisocial communication behaviors. Data came from two-parent families in Wave 5 of the Flourishing Families Project which consisted of 322 families (fathers, mothers, and children ages 13–17). Both observational and questionnaire data were used in data collection. Prosocial and antisocial behaviors were assessed using observational codes from the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales. Each of the family members’ perceptions was used to assess constraining family rules and facilitative family rules. Findings showed a direct positive relationship between facilitative family process rules and prosocial communication and a negative relationship with antisocial communication for both girls and boys. Constraining family process rules were also positively related to antisocial communication behaviors in adolescents. Shame was a significant mediator of the relationship between facilitative family rules and prosocial behavior as well as between constraining family rules and antisocial behavior.

Collaborative and Overinvolved Parenting Differentially Predict Outcomes in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes.

The current study examined the impact of collaborative and intrusive parenting on depression and glycemic control in children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Research examining the association between parenting and child adjustment in this population has been limited by a reliance primarily on questionnaire data and cross-sectional analyses. To address these gaps, the current study used an observational coding system to measure the effects of parenting on child adjustment over a 1-year period. Youth (10 to 16 years old) with T1D and their mothers (N = 81) were recruited from an outpatient pediatrics diabetes clinic. Mothers' symptoms of anxiety and depression and children's depressive symptoms were assessed by self- reports; parenting behaviors were assessed via video-recorded observations coded using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales; and adolescents' glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was obtained from medical records. Bivariate correlations and linear regression analyses revealed that higher levels of observed collaborative parenting were related to significantly lower HbA1c 12 months later, and higher levels of observed overinvolved parenting were related to significantly greater child depressive symptoms 12 months later. Further, age and treatment type moderated the relation between overinvolved parenting and child depressive symptoms. Collaborative and overinvolved parenting appears important for adolescents in predicting both psychological and health-related outcomes over time. Parenting behaviors may serve as an important target for future interventions to enhance adjustment in these children. (PsycINFO Database Record

Can mindful parenting be observed? Relations between observational ratings of mother-youth interactions and mothers' self-report of mindful parenting.

Research on mindful parenting, an extension of mindfulness to the interpersonal domain of parent-child relationships, has been limited by its reliance on self-report assessment. The current study is the first to examine whether observational indices of parent-youth interactions differentiate between high and low levels of self-reported mindful parenting. The Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (IFIRS) were used to code interactions between mothers and their 7th grade youth. Mothers drawn from the top and bottom quartiles (n = 375) of a larger distribution of self-reported interpersonal mindfulness in parenting (N = 804) represented clearly defined high- and low-mindful parenting groups. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to analyze how well 6 composite IFIRS observational rating variables (e.g., parental warmth, consistent discipline) discriminated between high and low self-reports of mindful parenting. DFA results were cross-validated, with statistically significant canonical correlations found for both subsamples (p < .05). Subsequent independent samples t tests revealed that group means were significantly different on all 6 IFIRS composite ratings. Confirmation of the relations between self-report mindful parenting and the observational ratings was also provided through hierarchical regression analyses conducted with a continuous predictor of mindful parenting using the full sample. Thus, the present study provides preliminary evidence for a link between self-reported mindful parenting and observed interactions between parents and youth.

Determinants of Effective Caregiver Communication After Adolescent Traumatic Brain Injury

ObjectiveTo characterize the effects of caregiver mental health and coping strategies on interactions with an injured adolescent acutely after traumatic brain injury (TBI). DesignMulti-site, cross-sectional study. SettingOutpatient setting of 3 tertiary pediatric hospitals and 2 tertiary general medical centers. ParticipantsAdolescents (N = 125) aged 12-17 years, 1-6 months after being hospitalized with complicated mild to severe TBI. MethodsData were collected as part of a multi-site clinical trial of family problem-solving therapy after TBI. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship of caregiver and environmental characteristics to the dimensions of effective communication, warmth, and negativity during caregiver-adolescent problem-solving discussions. Main Outcomes MeasuresAdolescent and caregiver interactions, as measured by the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales. ResultsCaregivers who utilized problem-focused coping strategies were rated as having higher levels of effective communication (P < .01), as were those with higher socioeconomic status (P < .01). Problem-focused coping style and higher socioeconomic status were also associated lower levels of negative interactions (P < .01 and P < .05, respectively). Female gender of the adolescent and fewer children in the home were associated with increased parental warmth during the interaction (P < .01 and P < .05, respectively). Neither adolescent TBI severity nor caregiver depression significantly influenced caregiver-teen interactions. ConclusionsProblem-focused coping strategies are associated with higher levels of effective communication and lower levels of caregiver negativity during the initial months after adolescent TBI, suggesting that effective caregiver coping may facilitate better caregiver-adolescent interactions after TBI.

Factor analysis of the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales.

Observational coding systems are uniquely suited for investigating interactional processes in couples and families, but their validity in diverse populations is unknown. We addressed this issue by applying factor analysis to interactional data collected from couples in low-income neighborhoods and coded with the widely used Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (IFIRS). Our sample of 414 low-income, ethnically diverse newlywed couples each provided 24-min samples of problem-solving and social support behavior. Interrater reliabilities were strong, and the resultant factors--reflecting positive, negative, and effective communication--were very similar to those obtained with White middle-class samples. Additionally, couples were more negative, less positive, and less effective in problem-solving conversations than in socially supportive conversations, further supporting the validity of the IFIRS in this population. We conclude by discussing the strengths and shortcomings of the IFIRS when used in a low-income, ethnically diverse population.

Coping and Positive Affect in Adolescents of Mothers With and Without a History of Depression

The adolescent children of depressed mothers are at increased risk for depression, but little is known about protective factors for these children. Maintenance of positive affect in a stressful context may be an important marker of resilience. Mothers with (n = 34) and without (n = 38) a history of depression and their adolescent children completed questionnaires regarding adolescents' coping and depressive symptoms and engaged in a 15 min videotaped interaction about family stress. Adolescents' observed behaviors were coded using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales. No significant differences emerged in observed behavior between adolescents of mothers with and without a history of depression. Higher levels of primary and secondary control coping and lower levels of disengagement coping were related to higher levels of observed positive mood and fewer depressive symptoms in adolescents. Observed positive mood was related to fewer depressive symptoms in adolescents, even after accounting for maternal history of depression and current maternal depressive symptoms. Results suggest the importance of considering positive affect in the context of family stress as a marker of resilience in adolescents at risk for depression. The current study provides evidence for coping as a protective factor, related to higher levels of positive affect and fewer depressive symptoms, in adolescents exposed to maternal depressive symptoms.

The Contribution of Infant, Maternal, and Family Conditions to Maternal Feeding Competencies

SYNOPSIS Objective. Because little is known about the role of family problem-solving processes in the development of mothers' competencies in feeding a very low birth-weight (VLBW) infant, we explored the contribution made by the competence in negotiating displayed by a mother and family member as they jointly problem solve infant-care issues. The infant's neonatal biomedical condition, maternal depressive symptoms, and family poverty status may also contribute to feeding competencies. Design. A sample of 41 mothers of VLBW infants from 2 longitudinal studies who were observed during feeding at 1 and 8 months infant postterm age, with a family member of their choosing, participated in a dyadic problem-solving exercise. We assessed maternal feeding competencies with the Parent–Child Early Relational Assessment (Clark, 1997) and dyadic negotiating competence using an observational scale from the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (Melby & Conger, 2001). We classified infant condition through medical record audit. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale (L. S. Radloff, 1977), and family poverty status was determined through the mother's report of family income. Results. Mothers' feeding competencies, structured into 2 factors, Parental Positive Affective Involvement, Sensitivity, and Responsiveness (PPAISR) and Parental Negative Affect and Behavior (PNAB, scored in the direction of low negativity) were stable from 1 to 8 months, accounting for the entire set of predictor variables. Neonatal biomedical condition had no effect on either PPAISR or PNAB; depressive symptoms were negatively associated with PNAB at 8 months; poverty status negatively predicted both PPAISR and PNAB at 1 and 8 months; and negotiating competence of the mother–family member dyad was positively associated with PNAB at 1 month. Conclusions. Evidence that family poverty status and dyadic negotiating competence were both associated with maternal feeding competencies supports inclusion of these family-level variables in a model of feeding competencies. A mother's negotiating competence with another family member who takes a responsible role in infant care may support maternal feeding competencies during a VLBW infant's early weeks when parenting patterns are forming.

Testing the Biobehavioral Family Model in Pediatric Asthma: Pathways of Effect

This study uses a laboratory-based multiinformant, multimethod approach to test the hypothesis that a negative family emotional climate (NFEC) contributes to asthma disease severity by way of child depressive symptoms, and that parent-child relational insecurity mediates the effect. Children with asthma (n = 199; aged 7-17; 55% male) reported parental conflict, parent-child relational security, and depressive symptoms. Parent(s) reported demographics, asthma history, and symptoms. Asthma diagnosis was confirmed by clinical evaluation and pulmonary function tests, with disease severity rated by an asthma clinician according to NHLBI guidelines. Family interactions were evoked using the Family Process Assessment Protocol, and rated using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales. Path analysis indicated a good fit of data to the hypothesized model (chi2[1] = .11, p =.74, NFI = .99, RMSEA = .00). Observed NFEC predicted child depression (beta = .19, p < .01), which predicted asthma disease severity beta = .23, p < .01). Relational security inversely predicted depressive symptoms (p = -.40, p < .001), and was not a mediator as predicted, but rather an independent contributor. The findings are consistent with the Biobehavioral Family Model, which suggests a psychobiologic influence of specific family relational processes on asthma disease severity by way of child depressive symptoms.

The Importance of Task in Evaluating Positive Marital Interactions

This article illustrates the importance of task context for evaluating the reliability and validity of observer assessments of warm/supportive marital interactions. Multiple observer ratings of 424 families were obtained within and across two observational task situations using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (Melby et al., 1990). The psychometric properties of observer ratings and family member reports were assessed simultaneously through the use of structural equation modeling. In general, the findings support the reliability of the global assessments of warm/supportive marital behaviors. As hypothesized, a marital discussion task elicited significantly higher levels of spousal warmth than the problem-solving task. Validity, however, varied across the two interactional contexts. These inconsistencies underscore the importance of task context, both for eliciting warm/support behaviors and for evaluating the validity of observational measures of such behaviors. Although it seems intuitively appealing that warmth, support, and demonstrations of positive affect in marital interaction should promote couple satisfaction and harmony, in general the evidence for such an association is inconsistent and far less robust than support for the detrimental influence of hostile or negative marital interactions (Markman & Notarius, 1987). There is a general trend for observer ratings of marital warmth and support, when compared with measures of other observed behaviors (e.g., hostile interactions), to show lower reliability and validity (Hooley & Hahlweg, 1989; Markman, 1991). In this study, we test the hypothesis that the relatively weak association found in earlier studies between positive marital interaction and marital quality, as well as the lower reliability and validity obtained for measures of positive marital interaction, derive in large part from difficulties in adequately measuring these dimensions of spousal behavior. Numerous family researchers have noted that it is not uncommon to find cross-method correspondence among measures from various sources (e.g., among observer-, self-, and spouse-report measures) (Furman, Jones, Buhrmester, & Adler, 1989; Jacob, Tennenbaum, & Krahn, 1987; Kenny, 1991; Moskowitz, 1990). Although a variety of factors may influence degree of correspondence among such measures of spousal behaviors (Howe & Reiss, 1993; Markman, 1990), in this article we specifically examine the effects of the contexts or trigger situations used for the obtained ratings. Given the phenomenal growth in the use of observational methodology (Bennion, 1993) and the increasing recognition of the importance of using observational measures for assessing family processes (Baucom & Sayers, 1989; Hetherington, 1994), assessing the adequacy of various report sources is of particular significance. It is essential, however, that evaluations regarding insider (e.g., self or spouse) and outsider (e.g., trained observer) assessments of behaviors such as warmth and support in marriage be made using procedures that allow direct comparisons among measures obtained by different methods or from different sources. Reliability and validity of such measures should be considered simultaneously in order to ensure their adequacy (Zeller & Carmines, 1980). THE PRESENT STUDY The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of global observer ratings of positive, warm, and supportive marital interactions using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (Melby et al., 1990). Prior analyses of observational ratings of hostility and coercion obtained using this coding system have demonstrated (a) the reliability and validity of such observational ratings obtained from a marital interaction task (Melby, Conger, Ge, & Warner, 1995) and (b) the ability of either a family problem-solving task or a marital discussion to yield acceptable observational assessments of such behaviors (Melby, Conger, Ge, & Warner, 1994). …

The use of structural equation modeling in assessing the quality of marital observations.

The authors examine traditional analytic approaches to assessing the quality of observational measures and suggest a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach that extends the multitrait-multimethod tradition to assess both reliability and validity of observational data. Drawing on observations of hostility and coercion in marital interactions obtained with the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (J. Melby et al., 1990), the authors illustrate the use of SEM as a means to evaluate estimates of psychometric properties of both observational ratings and family member reports within the same analytic framework, thereby providing more comparable assessments across study informants. The results demonstrate the utility of this approach. The use of observational methodology in the social and behavioral sciences has grown considerably during recent years. Indeed, Bennion (1993) noted a 300% growth in the proportion of empirical studies using observational methods published in Developmental Psychology be