Factor Structure and Validity of the Parenting Scale

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Confirmatory factor analyses based on the scoring derived from 5 prior studies of the Parenting Scale were conducted using a representatively recruited sample of 453 couples parenting 3-to 7-year-old children. Comparative analyses favored the Reitman et al. (2001 Reitman , D. , Currier , R. O. , Hupp , S. D. A. , Rhode , P. C. , Murphy , M. A. , & O'Callaghan , P. M. ( 2001 ). Psychometric characteristics of the Parenting Scale in a head start population . Journal of Clinical Child Psychology , 30 , 514 – 524 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) 2-factor scoring system as well as a 3-factor solution, including Lax, Overreactive, and Hostile discipline. This 3-factor solution demonstrated good fit across parent gender and child age and gender. Mothers rated themselves as more overreactive than fathers. The factor scores correlated significantly with several validity measures, including child behavior problems. The Hostile factor contributed significantly to the prediction of child behavior problems after controlling for Lax and Overreactive discipline. Both parents reported using more dysfunctional discipline than they thought they should.