Citation

Hamilton VE, Matthews JM, Crawford SB. J. Child Fam. Stud. 2015; 24(10): 2853-2864.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10826-014-0089-z

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Effective parenting self-regulation is purported to promote positive parent and child mental health and behavioural outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief and easy-to-administer measure of parents' perceptions of their self-regulation related to parenting. In the absence of any specific quantitative means to measure this construct, we developed a 16-item self-report scale in an Australian context for clinical and research use. The scale measures global beliefs about self-efficacy, personal agency, self-management, and self-sufficiency, thought to constitute parent self-regulation perceptions. Based on existing literature, we developed an initial 71-item scale which we subsequently tested in a representative sample of Australian parents (220 mothers, 80 fathers) recruited by random digit telephone dialling. With a strong theoretical framework, confirmatory factor analysis with adequate fit supported a final 16-item, four-factor scale as hypothesised entitled "Me as a Parent" (MaaP). Three-month test-retest reliability was demonstrated with a subset of the sample (n = 126). Further development of the MaaP, its potential for clinical and research use, and future assessment and validation through field-testing is discussed.

Language: en