title: Use of the Family Interaction Macro-coding System with families of adolescents: psychometric properties among pediatric and healthy populations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine reliability and validity data for the Family Interaction Macro-coding System (FIMS) with adolescents with spina bifida (SB), adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and healthy adolescents and their families.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight families of children with SB, 58 families of adolescents with T1DM, and 68 families in a healthy comparison group completed family interaction tasks and self-report questionnaires. Trained coders rated family interactions using the FIMS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acceptable interrater and scale reliabilities were obtained for FIMS items and subscales. Observed FIMS parental acceptance, parental behavioral control, parental psychological control, family cohesion, and family conflict scores demonstrated convergent validity with conceptually similar self-report measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary evidence supports the use of the FIMS with families of youths with SB and T1DM and healthy youths. Future research on overall family functioning may be enhanced by use of the FIMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Marquette University, PO Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA. Kaugars@marquette.edu
authors.forename: Astrida Seja
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kaugars
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zebracki
authors.forename: Jessica C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kichler
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Rachel Neff
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Greenley
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alemzadeh
authors.forename: Grayson N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Holmbeck
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires