Psychometric Evaluation of the Strength-Based Parenting Questionnaire and Comparison of Perceived Strength-Based Parenting in Collectivistic and Individualistic Cultures

Abstract

This study examined strength-based parenting scores rated by a large youth sample (N = 2,449; M = 15.03 years ± 2.94; 55.7% female; 44.3% male) collected from 9 countries classified as collectivistic (Indonesia, Israel [Arab citizens], Kazakhstan, Macau, Peru, Turkey, and Uzbekistan) or individualistic (Australia and Germany). Psychometric evaluation of the Strength-Based Parenting Questionnaire (SBPQ) showed factorial validity, strong internal consistency, and strong test re-test reliability. Strict measurement invariance was found between the two cultural groupings and across the seven language versions of the SBPQ, providing confidence that the SBPQ is a tool that can be used in cross-cultural research. Youth from individualistic countries perceived parents to have higher knowledge of their strengths; however, Cohen’s d of 0.13 indicated that the difference was very low. There was no significant difference on ratings of parents encouraging them to use their strengths. Overall, the findings suggest that youth perceptions about strength-based parenting may be more common, than different, across the two cultural categories. By establishing the psychometric robustness of the SBPQ in collectivistic and individualistic youth samples, this study has opened the door for increased cross-cultural research into the antecedents, moderators, and outcomes of strength-based parenting.