Development, reliability, and validity of Father-Toddler Interaction Multiaxial Assessment Scale

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Family Studies
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Assessing the quality of father-toddler interactions is crucial for understanding child development and family dynamics.
• Existing tools may not fully capture the nuances of these interactions, necessitating the development of specialized instruments.
• The Father-Toddler Interaction Multiaxial Assessment (FTI-MAXA) was developed to provide a comprehensive evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Father-Toddler Interaction Multiaxial Assessment (FTI-MAXA).
• To determine if FTI-MAXA scores accurately reflect the quality of father-toddler interactions.
• To establish FTI-MAXA as a dependable measure for research and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• 105 father-toddler dyads (children aged 13-40 months) were assessed by two trained raters using the FTI-MAXA Likert-type scale.
• FTI-MAXA rated fathers and children on 10 items across three dimensions: involvement, reciprocity, and flexibility-acceptance.
• Additional validated scales (BITSEA, ABC, etc.) were administered to fathers to assess child social-emotional functioning and paternal mental health.

Main Results:

• The FTI-MAXA demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .92-.98) and interpersonal reliability for both father and child scores.
• FTI-MAXA father subscores correlated negatively with child Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) scores and positively with Brief Infant/Toddler Social Emotional Assessment Scale (BITSEA) competence scores.
• FTI-MAXA child subscores showed positive correlations with BITSEA competence and negative correlations with ABC scores, supporting construct validity.

Conclusions:

• The FTI-MAXA is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing father-toddler interaction quality in a laboratory setting.
• The scale provides dependable global ratings, correlating appropriately with measures of child social-emotional well-being and behavioral challenges.
• FTI-MAXA is a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians studying father-child relationships and early development.