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Perceived Energy for Parenting: A New Conceptualization and Scale

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Abstract

Parenting may be the most physically and mentally demanding social role people encounter during their life. Personal resources are essential to child rearing, yet perceptions of parenting energy have been largely unexplored. This manuscript reports on the need for and development of a measure of perceived energy for parenting (PEP), as well as a preliminary study examining its reliability and validity. A 10-item self-report questionnaire was created to assess perceived energy for parenting. The survey was administered to a sample of 170 mothers. To examine the convergent and discriminant validity of PEP, mothers also completed measures of physical activity, exercise, mood, self-esteem, parental self-efficacy and satisfaction. Analyses indicated that PEP assessed a single underlying dimension, yielding an internally consistent scale. PEP uniquely contributed to predicting parental perceived efficacy and satisfaction. The PEP appears to be a useful tool for assessing meaningful individual differences among parents. Evidence was found for its convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity. Future research is necessary to examine the contribution perceived energy for parenting makes to important parenting behaviors such as sensitivity, monitoring, and discipline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, 4201 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Heather C. Janisse

  2. Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Douglas Barnett

  3. School of Nursing, State University of New York, Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Mary A. Nies

Authors
  1. Heather C. Janisse
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  2. Douglas Barnett
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  3. Mary A. Nies
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Correspondence to Heather C. Janisse.

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Janisse, H.C., Barnett, D. & Nies, M.A. Perceived Energy for Parenting: A New Conceptualization and Scale. J Child Fam Stud 18, 312–322 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9232-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9232-z

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