Assessing parents' self-efficacy beliefs before andduringthe COVID-19 pandemic in Greece.

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to establish the psychometric properties of the Self‐Efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index‐Toddler Scale (SEPTI‐TS) in the Greek educational context and to examine changes in parenting self‐efficacy over time. The Short Form of SEPTI‐TS was used to evaluate parents' self‐efficacy on four different domains: nurturance, discipline, play and routine. A sample of 159 parents of children aged from 3 to 5 years completed an online survey at two time periods before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results supported the proposed SEPTI‐TS dimensionality (comparative fit index = .905, root‐mean‐square error of approximation = .053, standardised root mean square residual = .055). The results showed that the average parenting self‐efficacy scores regarding discipline, play and routine were lower than parenting self‐efficacy scores of those domains before the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results also indicated that parents feel high self‐efficacy for play with their children, whereas they perceive low self‐efficacy for children's discipline. Good practices are discussed to address new challenges to Greek parents.