Internal structure of the Parenting Practices Scales in a vulnerable sample: a confirmatory factor analysis

Abstract

<jats:p>Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the internal structure of the Brazilian version of the Parenting Practices Scales, examining its dimensionality and the internal consistency of their subscales in a sample of vulnerable young individuals (N = 452). The six-factor structure was replicated through Confirmatory Factor Analysis; however, Cronbach’s alpha values for two factors indicated poor internal consistency: autonomy granting (α = 0.55) and punitive control (α = 0.51). Considering the correlations between the factors and the theoretical framework, a 2nd-order structure was performed, evidencing two correlated latent dimensions: demandingness and responsiveness. This model presented a good fit to the data and the 2nd latent dimensions achieved satisfactory internal consistency. The results were discussed considering sociocultural-related issues. Recommendations about the usage of this instrument were made, regarding both assessment and intervention contexts.</jats:p>

Differential impacts of the Brazilian Strengthening Families Program (SFP 10-14): A study into changes in the parenting styles of vulnerable families

“…Previous studies used three factors of the instrument (out of six) to assess specific parenting practices, namely parental supervision, intrusiveness, and emotional support (Murta et al, 2020a(Murta et al, , 2020b and followed the scoring recommendations of Teixeira et al (2006). The present study used all size items and scored the instrument as continuous variables along the two main dimensions of responsiveness and demandingness, following the recommendations of Pinheiro-Carozzo et al (2020). Therefore, previous studies assessed parenting practices, while this study assessed parenting styles.…”

“…However, because these families were included in the same group and treated as one, any improvements in some subgroups may be negated by deteriorations in other subgroups, resulting in a much lower effect or even none at all. In addition, a psychometric study of a sample of vulnerable people indicated that the appropriateness of the adopted instrument increased when the main two latent dimensions, demandingness and responsiveness, were used as continuous variables rather than assessing the six independent parenting practices of punitive control, behavioral supervision, demand for responsibility, emotional support, autonomy granting, and intrusiveness (Pinheiro-Carozzo, Gato, Fontaine, & Murta, 2020). Thus, we hypothesize that the impact of SFP varies according to parenting style, and this may help parents to develop the weaker dimension of their specific styles and consequently achieve better parenting outcomes when raising their children.…”

“…The respondent must estimate how his or her parent behaves according to a five-point Likert scale, with responses varying from (1) never to ( 5) always. The version used in this study had been adapted by Nobre-Sandoval, Vinha, Iglesias, and Murta (2020) to ensure its suitability for use among a low-income population, and its factorial structure had been analyzed by Pinheiro-Carozzo, Gato, Fontaine, and Murta (2020). The instrument comprises 23 items grouped over two dimensions, namely responsiveness with 12 items and demandingness with 11 items, with both having acceptable internal consistencies of α = 0.75 and α = 0.76, respectively.…”

“…The instrument comprises 23 items grouped over two dimensions, namely responsiveness with 12 items and demandingness with 11 items, with both having acceptable internal consistencies of α = 0.75 and α = 0.76, respectively. The total scores for each dimension were obtained by summing the scores for the relevant items (see Pinheiro-Carozzo et al, 2020).…”