Validation of a measure of parental responsiveness: Comparison of the brief Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale with a detailed measure of responsive parental behaviours

Parental responsiveness is vital for child language development. Its accurate measurement in clinical settings could identify families who may benefit from preventative interventions; however, coding of responsiveness is time-consuming and expensive. This study investigates in a clinical context the validity of the Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale (PaRRiS): a time- and cost-effective global rating scale of parental responsiveness. Child health nurse (CHN) PaRRiS ratings are compared to a detailed coding of parental responsiveness. Thirty parent–child dyads completed an 8-min free-play session at their 27-month health review. CHNs rated the interaction live using PaRRiS. Videos of these interactions were then blindly coded using the more detailed coding system. PaRRiS ratings and detailed codings were compared using correlational analysis and the Bland–Altman method. PaRRiS and the detailed coding showed a moderate-strong correlation (rs (28) = 0.57, 95% CI [0.26, 0.77]) and high agreement (Bland–Altman). CHNs using PaRRiS can capture parental responsiveness as effectively as trained clinicians using detailed coding. This may allow (1) increased accuracy and efficiency in identifying toddlers at risk for long-term language difficulties; (2) more accurate allocation to speech and language therapy (SLT) services; (3) decreased burden on SLT resources by empowering CHNs to make more informed referral decisions.