title: Reliability and Validity of the Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS).
abstract: We evaluated the reliability and validity of the Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS) coding scheme, which was developed to capture a range of communication components between parents and adolescents. Adolescents and their caregivers were recruited from mental health facilities for participation in a large, multi-site family-based HIV prevention intervention study. Seventy-one dyads were randomly selected from the larger study sample and coded using the DOCS at baseline. Preliminary validity and reliability of the DOCS was examined using various methods, such as comparing results to self-report measures and examining interrater reliability. Results suggest that the DOCS is a reliable and valid measure of observed communication among parent-adolescent dyads that captures both verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors that are typical intervention targets. The DOCS is a viable coding scheme for use by researchers and clinicians examining parent-adolescent communication. Coders can be trained to reliably capture individual and dyadic components of communication for parents and adolescents and this complex information can be obtained relatively quickly.
authors: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center/Rhode Island Hospital and the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903. whadley@lifespan.org.
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Hadley
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Stewart
authors: Heather L
authors: HL
authors: Hunter
authors: Katelyn
authors: K
authors: Affleck
authors: Geri
authors: G
authors: Donenberg
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Diclemente
authors: Larry K
authors: LK
authors: Brown
keywords: adolescent; coding; dyadic; family; observational
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1988 Jul;27(4):504-8
references: 3182608
references: Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2002 Apr;72(2):294-302
references: 15792069
references: Am J Community Psychol. 1992 Jun;20(3):349-74
references: 1415032
references: Dev Psychol. 2000 May;36(3):315-25
references: 10830976
references: J Adolesc Health. 2003 Aug;33(2):71-8
references: 12890597
references: Child Dev. 2008 Sep-Oct;79(5):1185-229
references: 18826521
references: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004 Jul;158(7):666-70
references: 15237066
references: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1973 Apr;26(1):72-85
references: 4695491
references: J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2002 Feb;15(1):43-6
references: 11888809
references: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1990 May;31(4):629-36
references: 2365764
references: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996 Dec;64(6):1222-30
references: 8991308
references: J Adolesc. 2008 Dec;31(6):795-814
references: 18031803
references: J Behav Med. 1990 Jun;13(3):245-61
references: 2213868
references: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001 Jun;40(6):642-53
references: 11392341
references: Child Dev. 1992 Jun;63(3):526-41
references: 1600820
references: Dev Psychol. 2004 Nov;40(6):993-1027
references: 15535753
references: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2003 Feb;71(1):159-67
references: 12602436
references: J Health Commun. 2003 Nov-Dec;8(6):583-98
references: 14690890
references: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010 Aug;78(4):590-7
references: 20658815
references: Psychol Bull. 1990 Jan;107(1):3-33
references: 2404292
references: J Behav Med. 1994 Aug;17(4):419-38
references: 7966262
references: AIDS Educ Prev. 2002 Apr;14(2):138-57
references: 12000232
references: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1997 Oct;25(5):367-87
references: 9421746