Parenting Sense Of Competence Research Articles

Evaluation of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale in Mothers of Infants

One of the most frequently used measures to assess parents’ assessment of their parenting ability is the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) Scale. However, there is limited psychometric evaluation of the measure with samples of mothers of infants. This paper examines the psychometric properties of the PSOC in a heterogeneous sample of mothers of infants between the ages of 2 and 12 months of age. To capture a diverse sample, data were obtained from two studies of mothers of infants. All participants (n = 218) completed the 17-item PSOC at one time point during the postpartum period along with information about maternal age and education. Additional measures for the purpose of examining convergent validity assessed mothers’ self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and social support. The characteristics of the mothers differed significantly between the two subsamples except for their PSOC scores. Despite these differences, within each subsample the PSOC total and subscale scores were internally consistent and significantly, moderately correlated with the three psychosocial measures confirming the PSOC’s construct validity when administered to mothers of infants. Future studies should continue to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PSOC with varied samples of mothers as well as fathers.

The prospective relationship between child personality and perceived parenting: Mediation by parental sense of competence

This study examined the prospective relationship between childhood Big Five personality characteristics and perceived parenting in adolescence. In addition, we investigated whether this relationship was mediated by parental sense of competence, and whether associations were different for mothers and fathers. For 274 children, teachers reported on children’s Big Five personality characteristics at Time 1, mothers and fathers reported on their sense of competence at Time 2, and the children (who had now become adolescents) rated their parents’ warmth, overreactivity and psychological control at Time 3. Mediation analysis revealed both direct and indirect effects. No differences in associations were found for perceived parenting of mothers and fathers. This study demonstrates that child personality in late childhood is significantly related to perceived parental warmth, overreactivity and psychological control in adolescence. In addition, parental sense of competence mediates the relationship between child conscientiousness and perceived parental warmth, overreactivity and psychological control.

Parents of Youth in Intensive Mental Health Treatment: Associations Between Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Parental Sense of Competence

The influence of severe emotional and behavioral disorders in youth on their parents is a complex, yet understudied topic. There is a dearth of literature in which the experiences of parents of youth who access intensive mental health treatment have been reported. The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ self-reported sense of competence in relation to their relationship status and in relation to the severity of their children’s symptoms. Data for this report were collected in a larger study on the psychosocial outcomes of youth accessing residential or intensive home-based treatment. In the current study, parental sense of competence was negatively associated with severity of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in children. Separated parents rated their parenting competence statistically significantly higher than divorced parents, though the practical significance of this finding is uncertain. Implications for social work research and practice are discussed.

Mealtime dynamics in child feeding disorder: the role of child temperament, parental sense of competence, and paternal involvement.

We examined how child temperament, parental sense of competence, and paternal involvement predicted observed mealtime dynamics. 97 families of children with feeding disorder (FD), sleep problems (SP), and typically developing (TD) children participated in the study. Data were collected during home visits, where mother-child and father-child mealtime dynamics were videotaped and parents completed questionnaires. More mother-child and father-child conflict and control was observed during mealtimes in the FD than SP and TD groups. Among the FD group, maternal sense of competence was negatively correlated with mother-child conflict and control, and child temperament was linked to father-child conflict and control, but only for families in which fathers were highly involved. These correlations were not significant among the SP and TD groups. Different patterns of results were seen for mothers and fathers and among the FD and control groups. Clinical implications for the treatment of FD are discussed.

Predictores del estrés parental en madres de familias en riesgo psicosocial

In this study we analyzed the associations between parenting stress, parental sense of competence and the contribution of socio-demographical and psychological factors to the explanation of parenting stress. Participants were 80 Portuguese mothers, recipients of the child protection services. Results showed high levels of parenting stress, especially in unemployed mothers with adolescent children, and significant associations between parenting stress and perceived parental competences. Maternal role satisfaction and employment were the most robust factors on the explanation of parenting stress, predicting 37% of the variance.

Psychometric properties of an adapted version of the parental sense of competence (PSOC) scale for Portuguese at‐risk parents

AbstractParental sense of competence is one of the central dimensions targeted on psychosocial interventions aimed at supporting at‐risk families. Researchers and practitioners need reliable instruments to assess the parental role adapted for these families. Although the parental sense of competence (PSOC) scale has been frequently used to assess this construct, there is still no adapted version for Portuguese parents. In this study, the reliability, validity and factor structure of the PSOC scale is examined with a clinical sample of 146 mothers from at‐risk families receiving psychosocial interventions for family preservation from Child Protective Services. Results show that the Portuguese version of the PSOC measures three distinct constructs with acceptable psychometric properties: efficacy, dissatisfaction and controllability. As expected, the obtained factors were significantly and positively related to parenting alliance and family cohesion, and negatively associated with parenting stress. In sum, the proposed Portuguese version shows reliability and validity evidences to measure three relevant dimensions of parental self‐evaluation, and it constitutes a cost‐ and time‐effective instrument suited for at‐risk mothers.

Un análisis tipológico del estrés parental en familias en riesgo psicosocial

Este estudio examina el grado y tipo de estrés parental y de estrategias de afrontamiento en una muestra de 109 madres en situación de riesgo con un expediente activo en los Servicios Sociales Comunitarios. Los análisis de conglomerados realizados mostraron tres perfiles diferenciados: Ajustado-Estratégico, Clínico-Evitativo y Extremo-Pasivo. Un análisis de regresión logística multinomial indicó que el sentimiento de competencia parental, el locus de control como progenitor y la cohesión familiar influían en la pertenencia de las madres a cada uno de los grupos. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de estos resultados de cara a la intervención con estas familias.

Exploring the Contribution of Parental Perceptions to Childhood Anxiety

Abstract Parental rearing practices such as over-involvement are associated with childhood anxiety; however, little is known about the contribution of parental perceptions to child anxiety. This study explores the relationship between maternal and paternal perceptions of parenting and childhood anxiety. The perceived rearing behaviors and parental sense of competence (i.e., satisfaction and efficacy) of the parents of anxious children (n = 59) were compared with those of a non-clinical control sample (n = 44). In line with the findings from the literature that addresses externalizing disorders, parental sense of competence was significantly associated with childhood outcomes. Logistical regression suggested that paternal efficacy beliefs, acceptance, and maternal satisfaction were associated with an absence of clinical anxiety and lower levels of anxiety symptoms in children. Parental perceptions may thus provide an important area for understanding childhood anxiety.

The impact of parent-delivered intervention on parents of very young children with autism.

This study investigated the impact of a parent-coaching intervention based on the Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) on parenting-related stress and sense of competence. This was part of a multisite, randomized trial comparing P-ESDM (n=49) with community intervention (n=49) for children aged 12 and 24months. The P-ESDM group reported no increase in parenting stress, whereas the Community group experienced an increase over the same 3-month period. Parental sense of competence did not differ. Number of negative life events was a significant predictor of parenting stress and sense of competence across both groups. This suggests that a parent-coaching intervention may help maintain parental adjustment directly after a child is diagnosed with ASD.

The Association Between Therapeutic Alliance and Treatment Outcomes in a Group Triple P Intervention

A growing literature has examined the association between therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes in child therapy. Few studies, however, have specifically investigated the role of therapeutic alliance within evidence-based parenting programs for children with externalizing behavioural difficulties. The current study prospectively collected measures of therapeutic alliance for 117 families completing a Triple P parenting program in a community children’s mental health center. Higher levels of mother and father rated therapeutic alliance were associated with greater gains in parenting skills and parental sense of competence. Parental rated therapeutic alliance was also associated with greater improvements in child conduct problems for mothers, but not fathers. However, therapist ratings of therapeutic alliance had limited associations with treatment improvement. The implications of the findings for clinical practice are discussed.

Parenting and relationship characteristics in mothers with their children having atopic disease

This study compared parental cognitions and relationship characteristics of mothers of children with atopic disease with those of mothers of children without atopic disease. These factors include child-rearing attitudes, parental locus of control, parental sense of competence, attachment security, and maternal sensitivity. Preplanned subanalyses were carried out according to specific disease, mothers' perception of disease severity, and presence of concurrent atopic diseases. The descriptive comparative study of 233 Korean mothers included 102 mothers of children aged sixyears or younger with atopic dermatitis, asthma, and/or allergic rhinitis. Data were collected from 2007 to 2008 from local clinics and day care centers. Parental cognitions and relationship characteristics did not differ significantly between groups of mothers, except that mothers of children with atopic dermatitis showed less affection. However, subanalyses showed that mothers who perceived their child's disease to be severe were less likely to encourage autonomy and had a lower sense of competence, more rejecting attitudes, and an external locus of control. Although we should be cautious in generalizing these results, special care plans are strongly recommended for mothers of children with severe atopic disease to provide support and education, help mothers develop an internal locus of control, and increase parental sense of competence.

The family strengthening program: Influences on parental mood, parental sense of competence and family functioning

The Family Strengthening Program (FSP) is an eclectic, strengths-based early intervention program conducted in Gympie and on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, which targets families in crisis, for whom child safety concerns have been identified. The program draws on concepts and strategies selected from: The family preservation and positive parenting approaches; solution focused, narrative and cognitive behavioral therapies; motivational interviewing; and therapeutic crisis intervention. Using a pre-test–post-test design (N = 19) and a waitlist control group (N = 10), this study examined whether participation in the FSP increased parental mood, parental sense of competence, and family functioning. No differences were evident between the intervention and control groups at intake. The results showed that participants in the intervention group reported fewer symptoms of depression and stress and higher parental satisfaction and parental self-efficacy at closure than were evident at intake. At closure also, parental satisfaction and efficacy were significantly higher for the intervention group than for the control group. Furthermore, scores for the intervention group on all eight family functioning domains of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale – General were significantly more positive at closure than on intake. FSP effectiveness was less for single parent families and/or families in which substance misuse was identified as a problem. The results demonstrate the value of early intervention programs in improving family functioning.

The Family Strengthening Programme: Influences on Parental Mood, Parental Sense of Competence and Family Functioning

The Family Strengthening Programme: Influences on Parental Mood, Parental Sense of Competence and Family Functioning

A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of multisystemic therapy in the Netherlands: post-treatment changes and moderator effects

In the present randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of multisystemic therapy (MST) in The Netherlands was examined. Moderator tests were conducted for ethnicity, age and gender. The sample consisted of N = 256 adolescents, referred because of conduct problems, and randomized to MST or treatment as usual (TAU). Assessments (questionnaires and observational ratings) took place before and immediately after the treatment. MST was more effective than TAU in decreasing externalizing behavior, ODD, CD and property offences, but not for violence. Findings were mixed for adolescents’ and parental cognitions: the MST group, compared to TAU, showed an improvement in parental sense of competence, and a decrease in adolescents’ hostility, but no change in self-esteem and an increase in personal failure. MST was effective for positive dimensions of parenting and associations with prosocial peers, but not for relationships with deviant peers. MST was equally effective for adolescents of different ages and with different ethnicities. However, MST showed larger (and more positive) effects for adolescent cognitions for boys than for girls. Effects of MST in The Netherlands are generally comparable to the positive findings reported in American and Norwegian trials. MST seems equally effective across age and ethnic minority groups, but some gender moderator effects were found for adolescent cognitions.

Within-intervention change: Mediators of intervention effects during multisystemic therapy.

The present study tested the hypothesis that improvements in parental sense of competence during multisystemic therapy (MST) lead to positive changes in parenting, which in turn lead to a decrease of adolescent externalizing problems. Mediational models were tested separately for 3 dimensions of parenting (positive discipline, inept discipline, and relationship quality) that are targeted in MST. Each model included "3-path mediation," in which 2 mediators (i.e., changes in parental sense of competence and parenting dimension) intervene sequentially between the independent (i.e., intervention status) and dependent variable (i.e., change in externalizing problems). Participants in this randomized controlled trial were 256 adolescents and their families who received either MST (n = 147) or treatment as usual (n = 109). In addition to pre- and postintervention assessments, 5 monthly within-intervention assessments took place. Both preintervention-postintervention comparison, through analysis of covariance, and comparison of trajectories during intervention, through latent growth modeling, showed that MST enhanced growth in parental sense of competence and positive discipline, led to no deterioration in relationship quality, and resulted in a decrease in adolescent externalizing problems. The results supported a sequential pattern of change for positive discipline: Changes in parental sense of competence predicted changes in positive discipline, which in turn predicted decrease in adolescent externalizing problems. No support was found for mediated effects of inept discipline and relationship quality. The results affirm the importance of directly targeting parental sense of competence and positive discipline in future interventions aimed at decreasing adolescent problem behavior.

The relationship between object relations and parenting behavior of mothers of ADHD children

Objectives:This study was conducted to compare the object relations and parenting behavior of the mothers of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with that of the mothers with normal children. Methods : In this study, we studied 64 mothers of children who were diagnosed with ADHD and 90 mothers of normal chil- dren. The mothers completed the Bell Object Relations Inventory (BORI), the Parenting Behavior Inventory (PBI), the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale. Results : As compared with the mothers of normal children, the mothers of children with ADHD showed significantly differ - ent results for the parenting stress and parenting efficacy. For parenting behavior, the mothers of children with ADHD perceived their mothering as being more neglectful. On the other hand, the mothers of the normal control group perceived their mothering as being more affectionate and the fathers as being more reasonable and monitoring. Conclusion : This study suggests there is a significant difference of object relation between the mothers of children with ADHD and the mothers with normal children. The object relation pathology of the mothers of children with ADHD might con- tribute to impaired parenting behavior. The result of the present study indicate that inadequate grandparental rearing behavior af- fects the insecure object relation of their child (the mother), and a mother's insecure object relation affects their parental stress and parenting efficacy.

주의력결핍 과잉행동장애 아동 어머니의 대상관계와 부모양육행동

Objectives:This study was conducted to compare the object relations and parenting behavior of the mothers of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with that of the mothers with normal children. Methods : In this study, we studied 64 mothers of children who were diagnosed with ADHD and 90 mothers of normal chil- dren. The mothers completed the Bell Object Relations Inventory (BORI), the Parenting Behavior Inventory (PBI), the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale. Results : As compared with the mothers of normal children, the mothers of children with ADHD showed significantly differ - ent results for the parenting stress and parenting efficacy. For parenting behavior, the mothers of children with ADHD perceived their mothering as being more neglectful. On the other hand, the mothers of the normal control group perceived their mothering as being more affectionate and the fathers as being more reasonable and monitoring. Conclusion : This study suggests there is a significant difference of object relation between the mothers of children with ADHD and the mothers with normal children. The object relation pathology of the mothers of children with ADHD might con- tribute to impaired parenting behavior. The result of the present study indicate that inadequate grandparental rearing behavior af- fects the insecure object relation of their child (the mother), and a mother's insecure object relation affects their parental stress and parenting efficacy.

The use of night orthoses in cerebral palsy treatment: Sleep disturbance in children and parental burden or not?

In this study, we investigated whether (1) children with cerebral palsy (CP) using night orthoses experience more sleep disturbance than those not using night orthoses, (2) parental personality is related to the experienced parental burden of night orthoses, and (3) parental sense of competence in the parenting role mediates the relation between parental personality and parental burden. Eighty-two Flemish children with CP (55 using/27 not using night orthoses) with a mean age of 9 years and 10 months (GMFCS level I-V) participated in this cross-sectional questionnaire study, using the Sleep Disturbance Scale (SDSC), Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Big Five Inventory (BFI) and a newly developed inventory to assess the parental burden of night orthoses. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed no statistical significant differences in sleep disturbance between children using/not using night orthoses. These findings are positive as the use of night orthoses are presumed to be important in providing adequate postural care in children with CP. Extraverted and emotionally stable parents experienced less parental burden. Mediation analysis revealed that parental sense of competence partially mediated the relation between parental personality and the parental burden. These results suggest that integrating parental sense of competence in treatment programs can improve the understanding of experienced burden. Implications of such integrations for therapy are discussed.

Prevention of familial transmission of depression: EFFEKT-E, a selective program for emotionally burdened families

AimParental depression is a strong risk factor for depression in children and is associated with offspring’s behavioral problems. Therefore, prevention measures should aim to reduce the transmission of risk to children of depressed mothers. In this paper, description and evaluation results are reported for EFFEKT-E (Entwicklungsförderung in Familien: Eltern- und Kinder-Training in emotional belasteten Familien), a prevention program to be used in the setting of mother–child rehabilitation clinics. EFFEKT-E is a family-oriented program including parent training and social skills training for pre-school children.Subjects and methodsThe evaluation study contained 375 mothers and their children. The program was evaluated in a quasi-experimental pre-post-follow-up design using instruments on parenting behavior and children’s emotional and behavioral problems.ResultsEvaluation showed satisfying out reach and implementation of the program. Compared to a treatment-as-usual condition, EFFEKT-E children exhibited less emotional disruption and hyperactivity. Mother’s sense of parental competence was promoted, problematic parenting behavior decreased.ConclusionEFFEKT-E is an evidence-based selective program which has the potential to prevent intergenerational transmission of depression.

Improving Engagement in the Role of Father for Homeless, Noncustodial Fathers: A Program Evaluation

Homeless, noncustodial fathers who struggle to maintain housing also struggle to occupy the role of father. This article presents a review and evaluation of a program for homeless noncustodial fathers that provides housing and encourages their occupancy to the role of parent. The program posits that engagement with children in the role of father cannot be achieved without stable housing and the men's establishment of paternity, sense of competence in parenting, social support, and therapeutic counseling. The findings identified through a focus group with homeless noncustodial fathers support these concepts of engagement to fatherhood.