Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jan-Feb;34(1):63-8.
doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsn043. Epub 2008 May 8.

Examining short-term stability of the Mealtime Interaction Coding System (MICS)

Monica Mitchell  1 , Carrie Piazza-Waggoner, Avani Modi, David Janicke
Affiliations

Examining short-term stability of the Mealtime Interaction Coding System (MICS)

Monica Mitchell et al. J Pediatr Psychol. 2009 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the stability of ratings on the McMaster Mealtime Interaction Coding System (MICS), an observational measure of family functioning, across three typical evening meals.

Methods: Participants included families of infants and toddlers with cystic fibrosis (n = 33) and with no chronic illness (n = 33). Three meals were videotaped across a 3-week period (M = 17.4 days) and involved a secondary data analysis from a larger study.

Results: Across both groups, test-retest reliability (paired correlation coefficients) was generally moderate, but significant, for all scales at each time point comparison. Analyses revealed no significant within-or between-group differences across time periods on healthy versus unhealthy ratings.

Conclusions: This study highlights the limitations of coding a single mealtime observation or interpreting multiple observations using the MICS. Findings highlight that family, meal, illness, and assessment factors may impact variability in ratings over time.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bihum J, Wamboldt M, Gavin L, Wamboldt F. Can the family assessment device (FAD) be used with school-aged children? Family Process. 2002;41(4):723–731. - PubMed
    1. Devellis RF. Theory and applications. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc; 2003. Scale development.
    1. Dickstein S, Hayden L, Schiller M, Seifer R, San Antonio W. Brown University School of Medicine,. Bradley Hospital: 1994. The Family Mealtime Interaction Coding System. Unpublished coding manual.
    1. Dickstein S, Martin S. What's for dinner: Family functioning, maternal depression and early Childhood Outcomes. Zero to Three. 2002;4:21–28.
    1. Dickstein S, Seifer R, Hayden L, Schiller M, Sameroff A, Keitner G, et al. Levels of family assessment II: Impact of maternal psychopathology on family functioning. Journal of Family Psychology. 1998;12(1):23–40.

Publication types

MeSH terms