Validation of the emotional and social parenting competencies scale for mothers (ESPCS-M)

Abstract

The Council of Europe Recommendation 2006/19 on Policies to Support Positive Parenting and the World Health Organization (2013) state difficulties for families to cope with their parental role. Validated instruments to assess parental competencies in normalized families are still scarce, which makes it advisable to increase them to identify current needs in the dynamics of family interaction and coexistence. The objective of this study was to validate the Emotional and Social Parenting Competencies Scale for Mothers (ECPES-M). 2437 representative mothers of a population of 145,902 families from the Principality of Asturias (Spain) with children between 0 and 18 years old participated. To study the factorial structure or construct validity, exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out; invariance was verified considering the developmental or school stage of the children. Internal consistency or reliability was analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha. Concurrent validity was analyzed through Pearson's correlation between the resulting factors and external variables selected as criteria. A scale of 15 items was obtained, distributed in four factors that explain 42.096 % of the variance: Factor 1-Self-esteem; Factor 2-Self-control; Factor 3-Verbal Aggression; and Factor 4-Imposition. A simple and useful instrument is offered in the field of family assessment and intervention to identify parenting competencies and their potentiation through evidence-based family education programs for positive parenting. The scale can be applied with mothers of the general population from a family coexistence promotion and preventive perspective to anticipate family difficulties. It can also be applied in vulnerable situations. It is also useful for evaluating parenting programs and identifying evidence of their effectiveness.