Psychometric Properties of the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System in The Netherlands

Abstract

The current study explored the psychometric properties of a parent-child interaction observation system, the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) in the Netherlands. Participants included 31 Dutch mother-child dyads and 86 U.S. mother-child dyads for a community sample (2-7 years; 50% boys). Good one-week test-retest reliability was demonstrated among the Dutch sample. Similarities were found between Dutch and U.S. samples on most interaction codes, but mothers in the U.S. sample used more directive behaviors (e.g., commands) in some situations. Findings suggest that the DPICS is a reliable measure of mother-child interactions in the Dutch population. Cultural issues regarding the use of the DPICS are discussed.

Reliability and validity of an observation-based parent–child interaction rating scale for Chinese children aged 0–6 years.

“…The DPICS is a prominent tool for evaluating parent-child interaction, which includes both parent categories and child categories (Robinson & Eyberg, 1981), with its test scores showing reliability and validity in interpretation among children of many different cultures (Abrahamse et al, 2019). The major advantage of the DPICS is the focus on language evaluation, which includes verbalization (e.g., labeled praise), vocalization (e.g., whine), and response categories (e.g., answer, no answer).…”

“…The method of observation also can provide quantified information without biases from parents such as parental expectations and social desirability (Gardner, 2000;Glatigny Dallay & Guedeney, 2016). Additionally, observation-based tools are more credible when recording procedures are consistent, when coders are well trained, and when the observation systems have a well-validated coding scheme (Abrahamse et al, 2019). Currently, the observational parent-child interaction assessment tools used worldwide include the dyadic parent-child interaction coding system (DPICS; Eyberg et al, 2005) and American Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) parent-child interaction rating scales (Barnard, 1994), both of which are wellknown tools of evaluation developed based on western cultures.…”