Characteristics of Interaction Between Caregivers and Children with Chronic Diseases in Oral Medication-Taking Situations: A Validation Study of the Interaction Rating Scale.

INTRODUCTION

Caregiver-child interaction is essential for maintaining adaptive oral medication-taking behavior in children. To evaluate interactive behavior between children and caregivers, the Interaction Rating Scale (IRS), an observation-based instrument for evaluating the quality of caregiver-child interaction, can be applied via observation of interactions. This study examined the applicability of the IRS in oral medication-taking situations.

METHODS

Sixty-six caregiver-child dyads were evaluated using the IRS. The reliability of the measure was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency and intra-class coefficient (ICC) for inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability. The concurrent validity was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Parenting Scale and the Social Skills Scale for Preschool Children.

RESULTS

The IRS total, caregiver, and child scores showed high internal consistency (α = 0.86-0.92), test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.76-0.80) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.86-0.91). The IRS indices were partially associated with the Positive and Negative Parenting Scale and Social Skills Scale scores in the hypothesized directions.

DISCUSSION

The results indicated the IRS is a reliable and validated instrument for measuring characteristics of caregiver-child interactions in medication-taking situations. Further studies may be helpful for validating the measure in wider patient groups and investigating the medication behavior of children.