Paternal Self-Efficacy Scale for Nonresident Fathers: Scale Development and Validation

Abstract

Previous research points to the importance of parenting self-efficacy in facilitating father engagement, thereby promoting optimal developmental outcomes in children. Nonresident fathers’ engagement differs from resident fathers, resulting in a need for a novel measure of paternal self-efficacy (PSE). This article presents two studies: Study 1—the development of a measure of nonresident PSE and Study 2—the validation of this measure with low-income, nonresident fathers. Nine focus groups were conducted at nine urban responsible fatherhood programs in low-income, high-poverty areas in the northeastern United States ( n = 71), yielding seven items for PSE. The Father Appraisal Inventory (FAI) was disseminated through a survey to nonresident fathers ( n = 542) in responsible father programs to assess convergent and predictive validity. Analyses demonstrated convergence with father satisfaction and predicted quantity and quality of father involvement and co-parenting.