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Refining the assessment of disrupted maternal communication: Using item response models to identify central indicators of disrupted behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2017

John D. Haltigan ,
Sheri Madigan ,
Elisa Bronfman ,
Heidi N. Bailey ,
Catherine Borland-Kerr ,
Roger Mills-Koonce Open the ORCID record for Roger Mills-Koonce [Opens in a new window]  and
Karlen Lyons-Ruth
John D. Haltigan*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Sheri Madigan
Affiliation:
University of Calgary Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
Elisa Bronfman
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School
Heidi N. Bailey
Affiliation:
University of Guelph
Catherine Borland-Kerr
Affiliation:
Family & Children's Services of Guelph & Wellington County
Roger Mills-Koonce
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Karlen Lyons-Ruth
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: John D. Haltigan, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; E-mail: John.Haltigan@camh.ca.
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Abstract

The Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE; Bronfman, Madigan, & Lyons-Ruth, 2009–2014; Bronfman, Parsons, & Lyons-Ruth, 1992–2004) is a widely used and well-validated measure for assessing disrupted forms of caregiver responsiveness within parent–child interactions. However, it requires evaluating approximately 150 behavioral items from videotape and extensive training to code, thus making its use impractical in most clinical contexts. Accordingly, the primary aim of the current study was to identify a reduced set of behavioral indicators most central to the AMBIANCE coding system using latent-trait item response theory (IRT) models. Observed mother–infant interaction data previously coded with the AMBIANCE was pooled from laboratories in both North America and Europe (N = 343). Using 2-parameter logistic IRT models, a reduced set of 45 AMBIANCE items was identified. Preliminary convergent and discriminant validity was evaluated in relation to classifications of maternal disrupted communication assigned using the full set of AMBIANCE indicators, to infant attachment disorganization, and to maternal sensitivity. The results supported the construct validity of the refined item set, opening the way for development of a brief screening measure for disrupted maternal communication. IRT models in clinical scale refinement and their potential for bridging clinical and research objectives in developmental psychopathology are discussed.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 31 , Special Issue 1: The effect of maltreatment experiences on maltreating and dysfunctional parenting: A search for mechanisms , February 2019 , pp. 261 - 277
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

We are grateful to our collaborators and colleagues who contributed data for this project and to the families who participated in the studies. Further work with the refined Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification item set presented in this manuscript is being supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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