The development of a scale for tuned‐in parenting

Abstract

This article provides preliminary evaluation for a new and easy to use parental sensitivity scale, which is rated from a short videotaped play session with the parental figure. The five Tuned-In Parent Rating Scales (TIP-RS) have been developed for use with identified dyadic problems in infant-parent relationships and provide a window on the micro-behaviours that may contribute to the dyadic disjunctions. A sample of 88 mothers who contacted a community early parenting unit was filmed in interaction with their infants and completed surveys including the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Six trained coders rated the videos. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensionality of the TIP-RS. The TIP-RS total score was negatively correlated with both the EPDS (r[N = 42] = −.34, p = .024) and the DASS (r[N = 42] = −.43, p = .029), providing evidence for its concurrent validity. Inter-rater reliability across the six raters for each of the TIP-RS sub-scales and total score ranged from .68 to .83. The present results warrant continued investigation of the psychometric properties of the TIP-RS as a tool for intervention with targeted parent-child relationships.

An Exploratory Study of Aggression in School-Age Children: Underlying Factors and Implications for Treatment

“…There are a number of promising approaches toward this goal. In one- to three-year-old children, video-feedback can be used to reduce child externalising behaviour and daily cortisol production (Juffer, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Van IJzendoorn, 2008) and to improve parent-child relationships (Priddis & Kane, 2013). Video-feedback can also be helpful with older children, as a way to encourage parents to think about what their child is thinking and feeling, and to talk about how they felt during the interaction with their child.…”

Psychometrics and validation of a brief rating measure of parent-infant interaction

“…The MACI was developed out of the need to encapsulate overarching (as opposed to fine-grained) qualities of the early caregiver–infant environment. Existing measures that offer breadth tended to involve multiple or complex scales, which are very time and/or resource-consuming to use, while brief measures tend to be specific, often focusing exclusively on caregiver behaviour (e.g., Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1971; Priddis & Kane, 2013; Svanberg, Barlow, & Tigbe, 2013). Of the 24 measures identified in Lotzin et al’s (2015) systematic review of measures of parent and infant aspects of interaction, only five could be considered “brief” (< 10 items); these were either micro-analytic, designed for hospital or screening contexts, or specific in focus (e.g., on responsiveness).…”

“…Are caregiver nondirectiveness and infant affect negatively associated with parent-reported infant invasiveness? (2) Convergent validity 2 : As the psychological state of the parent is known to impact on parent-infant interaction (e.g., Murray, Fiori-Cowley, Hooper, & Cooper, 1996; Priddis & Kane, 2013), are MACI caregiver and dyad scales associated with general mood (particularly in the early postpartum) and parents’ perceived own experiences of being parented (as purported by the concept of the intergenerational transfer of the inner working model by attachment theory; Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978)? (3) Discriminant validity : On the basis that the MACI has specificity to the caregiver-infant relationship, is the MACI independent of infant temperament, general developmental level and language skill?…”

Problematic phone use, depression, and technology interference among mothers.

“…Playtime is critically important for social development and parent-child bonding (Milteer, Ginsburg, & Mulligan, 2012). Depressed mothers tune-in to their children less during playtime, displaying less support, voiced interactions, and turn-taking (Priddis & Kane, 2013). Technoference in parenting might compound these negative interactions.…”

“…The association between technoference and maternal depression is particularly troubling, as maternal depression has been found to negatively impact a variety of parenting domains and is associated with adverse child outcomes. Mothers with higher rates of depression tend to display less sensitive parenting (Goodman et al, 2011; Murray, Fiori-Cowley, Hooper, & Cooper, 1996), show less engagement (Lovejoy, Graczyk, O’Hare, & Neuman, 2000; Priddis & Kane, 2013), be more controlling (Haycraft, Farrow, & Blissett, 2013), and use harsher punishments (McLearn, Minkovitz, Strobino, Marks, & Hou, 2006). Moreover, mother–infant dyads with depressed mothers displayed less communication, less physical interactions, and less positive affect (Righetti-Veltema, Conne-Perréard, Bousquet, & Manzano, 2002).…”