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Poster #102 - Validation of the Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (Revised) in Japan and the US

Fri, March 22, 12:45 to 2:00pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 1, Exhibit Hall B

Integrative Statement

Parenting self-efficacy (PSE) pertains to parents' judgments about their ability to complete important parenting tasks (de Montigny & Lacharité, 2005; Vance & Brandon, 2017). Previous research shows that parents vary considerably in their self-efficacy judgments, and these self-evaluations often diverge from objective evidence of their capability (Jones & Prinz, 2005). Parents’ self-assessments are important because individuals with high PSE resist self-defeating thoughts, find satisfaction from surmounting parenting challenges, and engage in effective parenting behavior (Coleman & Karraker, 1997, 2000).

Although the PSE construct initially emerged in the US context as part of Bandura's social cognitive theory, it has become increasingly relevant as other countries undergo rapid demographic, economic, and/or social changes that present new challenges to parents. In many cases, PSE research in international settings has drawn upon measures developed in the US or other English-speaking nations, and yet few researchers have conducted extensive analyses to determine their validity or reliability in these settings (Črnčec, Barnett, & Matthey, 2010).

Our project focused on the measurement of PSE in the US and Japan. Over the past two decades, research interest has increasingly focused on understanding the wide-ranging effects of recent government efforts to encourage women to remain in the workplace even when they have young children (Holloway, 2010). These sociodemographic changes have in turn affected men and women's conceptions of the parenting role and their performance of it. In order to facilitate socioculturally valid assessments of PSE in Japan and the US, we conducted extensive evaluation of the validity and reliability of a revised version of the Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (BPSE). The BPSE is a domain-specific measure developed specifically to assess PSE in those Japan and the US. The specific goals of the present study were to assess the revised BPSE (BPSE-R) in terms of a) measurement invariance across the two nations; b) test-retest reliability; and c) construct validity as indicated by association to theoretical correlates of PSE.

Survey data was collected from 986 parents of children in preprimary and early primary school in the US and Japan. Parents received two surveys. The first survey contained the BPSE-R as well as other measures including satisfaction with life, parenting effectiveness, and parental involvement. Three months later, a second survey was administered with the BPSE-R and a measure of marital satisfaction. The BPSE-R is developmentally oriented, with separate forms for parents of children in preschool/kindergarten and those with children in early primary school.

Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated strong construct, metric, and scalar equivalence, suggesting that scores on the BPSE-R is a valid indicator of PSE in both national settings. The scale also demonstrated good internal consistency and strong test-retest reliability with correlations ranging from .71 to .80 across the national samples and age groups. BPSE-R score was significantly associated with concurrent measures of parent well-being as well as self-reported parenting behavior (see Table 1).

These findings indicate that the BPSE-R is a reliable and valid measure of parenting self-efficacy for parents of young children in Japan and the United States.

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