Development and Validation of the Praise, Indulgence, and Status Parenting Scale

Abstract

The overarching aim of this study was to develop and validate a new scale (i.e., the Praise, Indulgence, and Status Parenting Scale [PISPS]) to measure modern parenting practices and behaviors consistent with instilling ideals of specialness (i.e., the notion that one is special), self-esteem, and status in children. In 2 studies on emerging adults (Study 1: N = 582, M_age = 19.46; Study 2: N = 464, M_age = 19.58), the PISPS was developed and validated using classical test theory (Study 1) and further refined using item–response theory (Study 2). Results from both studies indicated a 3-factor structure with factors differentially linked with correlates of interest including parenting strategies, self-esteem, narcissism, entitlement, and internalizing symptoms. Study 3 further validated the PISPS in a sample of parents (N = 638, M_age = 35.79) reporting on their parenting and their child’s emotion regulation and symptoms of psychopathology. Overall, findings support the PISPS, its psychometric properties, and its unique contribution to child symptoms.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Cynthia Suveg for her feedback during the developmental stages of the research. This research was not preregistered. The data are not available in a repository. Researchers who wish to obtain the data or information about the analytic methods and study materials should contact the first author.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded to the first author.