Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale: Development and Initial Validation of a Parent Report Measure

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric characteristics of the Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale (CAPES). The CAPES was designed as a brief outcome measure in the evaluation of both public health and individual or group parenting interventions. The scale consists of a 30‐item intensity scale with two subscales measuring children's behaviour problems and emotional maladjustment and a 20‐item self‐efficacy scale that measures parent's self‐efficacy in managing specific child problem behaviours. A sample of 347 parents of 2–12‐year‐old children participated in the study. Psychometric evaluation of the CAPES revealed that both the intensity and self‐efficacy scales had good internal consistency, as well as satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. Potential uses of the measure and implications for future validation studies are discussed.

Key words:

• assessment
• child adjustment
• child behaviour
• parenting confidence

Notes

1. Numbers do not add to 100% because of missing data.

2. The variance–covariance matrices available on request from the corresponding author.

3. The AVE estimate represents the average amount of variation that a latent construct is able to explain in the observed variables that theoretically relate to the construct. It is calculated by averaging the sum of squared factor loadings for each latent construct. The squared factor loading represents the amount of variation in each observed variable that the latent construct accounts for. When this variance is averaged across all observed variables that relate theoretically to the latent construct, we generate the AVE.

4. The composite reliability represents the overall reliability of a collection of heterogeneous yet similar items. It reflects the degree to which the scale score reflects one particular factor. It is calculated in the following way: CR = (sum of standardised factor loadings)²/(sum of factor loadings)² + (sum of indicator measurement error).

5. For the CAPES intensity, behavior subscale: parcel 1 included items 24 and 1, parcel 2 included items 2 and 16, parcel 3 included items 4 and 14, parcel 4 included items 5 and 7, parcel 5 included items 12 and 28, parcel 6 included items 9 and 18, parcel 7 included items 21 and 13, parcel 8 included items 15 and 17, parcel 9 included items 25 and 26, parcel 10 included items 22 and 29, parcel 11 included items 8 and 20, parcel 12 included items 6 and 10, and parcel 13 included items 23 and 30. For the CAPES confidence: parcel 1 included items 1 and 2, parcel 2 included items 3 and 4, parcel 3 included items 5 and 6, parcel 4 included items 7 and 8, parcel 5 included items 9 and 10, parcel 6 included items 11 and 12, parcel 7 included items 12 and 16, parcel 8 included items 13 and 14, parcel 9 included items 17 and 18, and parcel 10 included items 19 and 20.