Influence of parental self-efficacy on behavioural problems of pre-school children

Abstract

Parental self efficacy is the parent’s conviction about being capable in influencing their children’s behaviour. A correlation research design was employed to study the influence of parental self-efficacy on behavioral problems of pre-school children in both rural and urban locality. Multistage random sampling was employed where rural sample formed 213 pre-school children from ten Anganwadi’s and urban sample formed 121 pre-school children from six Anganwadi’s from the selected villages of Dharwad district. The influence of parental self-efficacy on behavioural problems was studied on a dichotomized sample of 206 children falling in normal and borderline/clinical range for behavioural problems which were assessed by administering the Child Behavior Checklist. The self efficacy among parents was assessed by administering Cooper Parental Self-Efficacy Scale-Child Health Behavior by Cooper (2013). The results revealed that, 47% of pre-schoolers were in the borderline while 13.8 % were in clinical range for behavioural problems. Parents from urban locality had higher self efficacy than rural parents. Parental self efficacy was not found to be significantly influencing behavioural problems among rural pre-schoolers than urban pre-schoolers. To manage the behavioural problems among pre-schoolers, self efficacy skills of parents can be enhanced by adopting individualized intervention programmes.