Measurement invariance of the Child Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire-Short Form across parental versions, age, gender, clinical status, and time

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the Romanian version of the Child Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire- Short Form (Child-PARQ, short form) across parents, age, gender, clinical status, and time. Participants were 1,237 youths (community sample: N = 1,033; clinical sample: N = 204) aged 11–18 years old. The analysis was conducted using RStudio. The factorial structure of the scale was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, and measurement invariance was examined via multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results confirmed the original four-factor model for both the PARQ-Mother and the PARQ-Father. For the PARQ-Mother, we found measurement invariance across gender and time, and partial measurement invariance across age and clinical status. Regarding the PARQ-Father, we confirmed measurement invariance across gender, age, and time, and partial measurement invariance across clinical status. Finally, we demonstrated measurement invariance across the PARQ-Mother and the PARQ-Father. Criterion validity was also demonstrated by finding significant associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Overall, the present findings suggest that the Child-PARQ (short form) is a valuable tool with acceptable psychometric properties for assessing perceived parental acceptance-rejection in preadolescents and adolescents.