Being A Parent

The Being a Parent scale is an adaptation of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (Gibaud-Wallston & Wandersman, 1978), which assesses parenting self-esteem. The 12 items assess parent's sense of competence and satisfaction with parenting.

Abstract: The Being A Parent scale is an adaptation of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (Gibaud-Wallston & Wandersman, 1978), which assesses parenting self-esteem. The 12 items assess Parenting Satisfaction, an affective dimension reflecting parenting frustration, anxiety, and motivation, and Parenting Efficacy, an instrumental dimension reflecting competence, problem-solving ability, and capability in the parenting role (Johnston & Mash, 1989). Parents are asked to respond to a series of statements about parenting, indicating their agreement or disagreement. Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). Prior to this update, two scales for this measure were derived from exploratory factor analyses in the first and fifth years. The scales for this updated report in Year 6 were obtained by conducting the same confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) that were confirmed in Years 2 and 3 with both the Normative and High-Risk Control samples (see Addendum). The factor analysis confirmed two factors that corresponded with those obtained from the Year 1 Fast Track as well as the principal component analysis of the original measure (see Johnston & Mash, 1989). These two scale scores were calculated by taking an average of the items comprising the scales. None of the observations were missing 50% or more data. Factor analyses suggest that this measure yields two scales that are very similar to those obtained from the original measure (Johnston & Mash, 1989). The efficacy scale indicates an instrumental dimension of parenting, whereas the satisfaction scale indicates an affective dimension of parenting. Previous studies suggest that parents who report more child behavior problems also report lower levels of satisfaction (Mash & Johnston, 1983).

Who Completed this Measure?: Parent

Cohort 1 - Administrative History

  • Year 01 | K | age 6
  • Year 02 | grade 1 | age 7
  • Year 03 | grade 2 | age 8
  • Year 05 | grade 4 | age 10
  • Year 06 | grade 5 | age 11

Cohort 2 - Administrative History

  • Year 01 | K | age 6
  • Year 02 | grade 1 | age 7
  • Year 03 | grade 2 | age 8
  • Year 05 | grade 4 | age 10
  • Year 06 | grade 5 | age 11

Cohort 3 - Administrative History

  • Year 01 | K | age 6
  • Year 02 | grade 1 | age 7
  • Year 03 | grade 2 | age 8
  • Year 05 | grade 4 | age 10
  • Year 06 | grade 5 | age 11

Technical Reports:

Raw Dataset Name: PxH

Scored Dataset Name: BPRxSPx

Keywords:
Family, Parental Involvement, Parental satisfaction, Parenting values

Is this Measure Available for Public Use?: No

Obtain Measure:

Fast Track obtained permission to use this measure in our study, but we are NOT ALLOWED TO DISTRIBUTE IT. To obtain a copy for your use, contact the source listed below.

JPWanders@aol.com