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Psychometric Qualities of the Short Form of the Self-efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index-Toddler Scale

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Abstract

Parental self-efficacy (PSE; parental self-perceived competence in parenting) is known to have considerable impact on parenting quality. Although PSE is particularly under pressure during the turbulent period of toddlerhood, most studies so far have focused on PSE in parents of older children. The current study presents the psychometric qualities of the Short Form of the Self-Efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index-Toddler Scale (SEPTI-TS). Parents from a normal (n = 282) and clinical sample (n = 27) of children filled in the SEPTI-TS, and other questionnaires concerning PSE, general self-evaluation, and psychological problems. Factor analysis resulted in a 26-item instrument, representing four domains of PSE with a strong factor structure and high reliability: nurturance, discipline, play, and routine. For this new Short Form of the SEPTI-TS, good face, discriminative, concurrent, and divergent validity were found. Cut-offs for normal PSE were provided. The Short Form SEPTI-TS enables identifying problematic PSE in specific domains of parenting during toddlerhood.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the participating parents for their contribution to the study. The support of the staff at the participating day care centres as well as the health care professionals at Babylon, Lucertis, is highly appreciated. We thank Carine Knoester and Walter Oppenoorth for their essential clinical perception. We greatly acknowledge Dr. Coleman and Dr. Karraker, who developed the original SEPTI-TS, for their kind permission to perform a psychometric study on the Dutch translation and short form of the SEPTI-TS.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    E. H. M. van Rijen, N. Gasanova, A. M. Boonstra & J. Huijding

  2. CED Groep, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    A. M. Boonstra

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  1. E. H. M. van Rijen
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  2. N. Gasanova
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  3. A. M. Boonstra
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  4. J. Huijding
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Correspondence to E. H. M. van Rijen.

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van Rijen, E.H.M., Gasanova, N., Boonstra, A.M. et al. Psychometric Qualities of the Short Form of the Self-efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index-Toddler Scale. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 45, 443–455 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0414-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0414-6

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