The specific parenting domains measured by the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) make it particularly relevant to interventions concerned with the modification of parenting practices. This study assessed the validity and clinical utility of parent reports on the APQ using observational data of parents and children (N=56, aged 4–8 years) participating in a parent training intervention for childhood conduct problems. Parent reports on the measure were found to converge well with observations of parents’ use of praise, and harsh/aversive parenting. APQ scores also reflected change in parenting practices across treatment, and were associated with clinical child outcomes. Comparisons of the five original APQ subscales with a three-factor empirically-derived form of the measure indicated greater support for the original subscales, which were found to be valid and clinically informative in the treatment of childhood conduct problems.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was in part supported by funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Thanks to all participating families.
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Hawes, D.J., Dadds, M.R. Assessing Parenting Practices Through Parent-Report and Direct Observation During Parent-Training. J Child Fam Stud 15, 554–567 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-006-9029-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-006-9029-x