Measuring Parenting Interactions in Resource-Constrained Settings: Evidence from an Observational Tool Implemented in Andean Peru

Abstract

Robust theoretical and empirical evidence has confirmed that parents’ interactions with their children are directly related to child well-being. In response to this evidence, parenting interactions are increasingly being targeted by policies and interventions globally. Nevertheless, few empirically validated measures of parenting interactions are available for majority world contexts. This study aimed to adapt, implement, and provide validity evidence for an observational assessment of Peruvian mothers’ interactions with their toddlers during a 4-min book reading task. We adapted the Observation of Mother–Child Interactions assessment to simplify its administration and ensure its contextual relevance. We then used data collectors from different backgrounds to live code this adapted assessment in a sample of 2,375 mother–child dyads (M child age = 28.8 months; 50.2% female) in rural Andean Peru. Floor or ceiling effects were identified in 10 of 11 items. Confirmatory factor analyses using a tobit estimator applied in two split-half samples revealed a two-factor solution that distinguished between mothers’ provision of emotional versus cognitive support. Correlations between these observed parenting interaction subscales and mother-reported caregiving processes (e.g., attachment, stimulation) were in the expected directions, statistically significant, and small in magnitude (r < .20). Regression analyses revealed that the observed parenting interaction subscales predicted children’s directly assessed and mother-reported development and behavior, even when controlling for other parenting processes. Implications for the assessment and promotion of parenting processes in the majority world are discussed.