Psychometric Properties of the Spanish-language Version of the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting (IM-P) Scale among Mothers of Preschool Children in Chile

Abstract

The Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting (IM-P) scale is one of the first measures that specifically assesses mindful parenting, a specific application of mindfulness, that has been defined as paying attention to your child and parenting in a particular way, intentionally, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. Psychometric properties of a Spanish-language version of the IM-P scale were examined in a sample of 111 mothers of preschool-age children living in Santiago, Chile. The original IM-P model with five factors and 31 items showed indicators of goodness of fit within acceptable ranges, however two items presented extremely low factor loadings that suggest a lack of fit to the model. Also, there was a high correlation between two factors which were theoretical and conceptually very related: Compassion for the self and child and Non-judgmental Acceptance of the self and child. Therefore, it was considered appropriate to test a new four-factor model in which these two factors were merged into one, and items loading low in the previous model were eliminated. This new model showed a slightly better fit than the five-factor model. The resultant four-factor version and its subscales showed good internal consistencies. Construct validity of the IM-P scale was investigated by calculating correlations with general mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, FFMQ). As expected, a significant positive correlation was found between the two measures (r=0.73, p<0.01), and among almost all subscales. In general, the results present sound psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of the IM-P in Chilean mothers of preschool children.