Turkish Validation of the PICCOLO (Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes)

Abstract

Early positive parent-child interactions are important for child development. Intervention research focused on increasing positive parent-child interactions has demonstrated increases in desired parenting behaviors and improvements in child outcomes. Parent-child interaction research in Turkey has been limited because of the need for reliable and valid measures of parent-child interaction. The aim of this study was to explore the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of a psychometrically strong measure of parent-child interaction that was developed in the United States: the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO). Mother-child interactions during a free-play situation were scored using the Turkish translation of the PICCOLO. The Turkish PICCOLO demonstrated good reliability and validity; as good as that demonstrated in the original English-language PICCOLO psychometric study. The Turkish PICCOLO meets the criteria established for a tool that will facilitate parent-child interaction research in Turkeyand appears to be practical and functional in evaluating the quality of parent-child interaction.