The psychometric qualities of a short version of the multidimensional overprotective parenting scale

ABSTRACT

The Multidimensional Overprotective Parenting Scale (MOPS) is a 35-item questionnaire assessing two dimensions of parental overprotection. Given its substantial length, the present research presents the development and psychometric properties of a short version of the MOPS (S-MOPS). Four independent samples were used (Sample 1, N = 315 Swiss adolescents; Sample 2, N = 377 Belgian adolescents and young adults; Sample 3, N = 312 Georgian young adults; Sample 4, N = 467 Swiss parents). Item selection based on factor analysis resulted in a 16-item version, comprising 10 items for anxious overprotection and 6 for ego-enhancing overprotection. The psychometric properties of the S-MOPS were similar to those of the MOPS across samples with high reliability, a stable two-factor structure, and very similar associations with theoretically relevant parenting and adjustment variables. Overall, the S-MOPS appears to be a promising instrument for use in cross-national research and research with a multi-informant approach.

KEYWORDS:

• MOPS
• parental overprotection
• factor structure
• construct validity
• cross-cultural research

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the adolescents, young adults and parents who kindly accepted to participate in the studies. We thank the principals of the schools and the Youth Department (Direction Générale de l’Enseignement Obligatoire, DGEO) of the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/k4tvw/?view_only=4eb0ce5b84e84cd3818c49ce7bbed3cc.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2022.2079630

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Grant. (FNS n° 10001C_179455) and by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 950289; H2020 European Research Council.