Assessing the quality of parent-child interaction in shared reading using the IPCI

The purpose of the study was to determine whether shared reading would be a useful context for observing parent-child interaction with infants and toddlers. Data from the Indicator of Parent-Child Interaction Validity (IPCI) Study (Baggett, Hughes, & Carta) were used to examine how parent-child interaction during the shared reading used in the IPCI compared to three other contexts (a free play task, a dressing task, and a distraction task). IPCI data were collected on 66 parent-child dyads over 6 measurement occasions in their homes, the current study examined whether two features of parent behavior (supportiveness and interruption) and two features of child behavior (engagement and reactivity) were qualitatively different in shared reading compared to the three other assessment contexts. In addition, the study examined the relationship between parent and child factors and their relationship to quality of parent-child interaction during shared reading.; Results indicated that while parents were not more responsive in shared reading than in the other activities, they were less negative in this context. Children were rated as less reactive during shared reading. Generally, parent and child IPCI subscales scores were consistent over time; however, IPCI Child Reactivity subscale scores decreased toward the end of six measurement occasions. Caregiver-related variables (e.g., mothers' education, HOME risk) were strongly predictive of the IPCI subscale scores; whereas child-related variables (e.g., age, gender) were not. As expected, IPCI Parent Support subscale scores and high scores on the Home Observations for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory (Bradley & Caldwell, 1976) accounted for 79% of the variance in the IPCI Child Engagement subscale scores. Parent Interruption scores accounted for 50% of the variance in the IPCI Child Reactivity subscale scores. The IPCI Child Engagement subscale score and high HOME scores accounted for 61% of the variance in the IPCI Parent Support subscale scores. The IPCI Child Engagement and Child Reactivity subscale scores accounted for 41% of the variance in the IPCI Parent Interruption subscale scores.; The findings show that the use of a variety of contexts is important in assessing the quality of parent-child interaction with infants and toddlers and that an everyday activity such as shared reading can be effective in describing negative parent-child interaction. The use of an easy-to-administer measure within an everyday activity such as shared reading can be helpful to early interventionists who work with families in early intervention---especially to those who include high-risk families in their caseloads. The findings demonstrate that parent-child interaction during shared reading is indeed a transactional process and that early interventionists can repeatedly measure parent-child interaction in shared reading using the IPCI rating scales with the high-risk dyads.