Abstract
The mental health of fathers influences the development of children and the functioning of families significantly. However, there is no useful scale for the mental health screening of childrearing fathers. This study developed a Mental Health Scale for Childrearing Fathers (MSCF) and determined its reliability and validity. Childrearing fathers are working fathers who co-parent with their spouses. This survey was conducted in two stages: a pilot study and a main survey. Data were obtained from 98 fathers raising preschoolers in the pilot study and 306 fathers in the main survey. The collected data were used to confirm the construct validity, criterion-related validity, convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability. The final MSCF consisted of 25 items comprising four factors: peaceful familial connection, healthy mind and body, satisfying paternal alliances, and leading a meaningful life as a parent. The internal consistency reliability estimated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.918. The validity of the MSCF was logically secured using a confirmatory factor analysis. The MSCF can be an effective tool for mental health screening among fathers in relation to the burden of childrearing during regular infant health checks.
Highlights
The final scale of the Mental Health Scale for Childrearing Fathers (MSCF) consisted of 25 items comprising four factors: peaceful familial connection, healthy mind and body, satisfying paternal alliances, and leading a meaningful life as a parent
The MSCF is a new scale centered on paternal mental health
The MSCF was developed by analyzing the literature, item pool design, expert modification, a pilot study, scale modification, and a main survey using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Anxiety and stress while childrearing tend to cause mental health issues, such as irritability, fatigue, and depressed mood. These can further lead to marital conflict, decreased affection between couples [1], child abuse [2,3], and mental health problems among children [4]. Previous related studies show that anxiety and stress among childrearing mothers can be reduced by support from the children’s fathers [5]
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