Validation of an Observational Tool for Assessing Mother-Child and Father-Child Interactions in Mara, Tanzania
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| Title: | Validation of an Observational Tool for Assessing Mother-Child and Father-Child Interactions in Mara, Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Joshua Jeong (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Psychology. 2026 62(1):221-232. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | R00HD105984 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Parent Child Relationship, Interaction, Cultural Influences, Parenting Styles, Test Validity, Psychometrics, Child Development, Infants, Correlation, Gender Differences, Mothers, Fathers, Rural Areas |
| Geographic Terms: | Tanzania |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001909 |
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| Abstract: | A strong body of evidence has underscored the cross-cultural importance of nurturing parent-child relationships for promoting early child development outcomes. However, most research on parenting has predominantly relied on self-reported measures collected from mothers. Observational tools for assessing parent-child interactions from not only mothers but also fathers remains limited, especially in Majority World contexts. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of an observational tool for assessing mother-child and father-child dyadic interactions in rural Mara, Tanzania. Specifically, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine the dimensionality of the measure, tested measurement invariance by parental gender, and assessed its predictive validity with early child development outcomes. We analyzed data from 1,690 parent-child dyads (927 mother-child dyads and 763 father-child dyads) with children under 2 years of age. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a two-factor model with good model fit and acceptable internal consistency and interrater reliability between trained coders. While the measure demonstrated configural invariance by parental gender, it did not meet the criteria for metric or scalar invariance, indicating that maternal and paternal scores cannot be directly compared. Nonetheless, regression analyses showed positive associations between mother-child and father-child interaction scores and children's later development. Our findings establish the reliability and predictive validity of this observational tool for assessing early parent-child interactions in rural Tanzania. Future research directions and methodological considerations for using this observational tool with both mothers and fathers in Majority World countries are discussed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1503156 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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