Johnston, C., & Mash, E. J. (1989). A measure of parenting satisfaction and efficacy. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 18(2), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp1802_8
Sample:
Participants — 297 mothers and 215 fathers of 4 to 9 year olds in a large Canadian city.
Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
Summary:
This study obtained normative information for the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale. Principal-components analysis of the PSOC revealed two factors: Satisfaction, an affective dimension reflecting parenting frustration, anxiety, and motivation; and Efficacy, an instrumental dimension reflecting competence, problem-solving ability, and capability in the parenting role. Significant inverse relationships were found between perceptions of child behavior problems and of parenting. For mothers, reported child behavior problems related to parenting satisfaction. For fathers, child behavior problems related both to satisfaction and efficacy as a parent. Mother and father reports of parenting were positively correlated; however, fathers obtained significantly higher scores than mother, particularly on the Satisfaction dimension. PSOC scores did not vary as a function of child age or sex.
Ohan, J. L., Leung, D. W., & Johnston, C. (2000). The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale: Evidence of a stable factor structure and validity. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des Sciences du comportement, 32(4), 251–261. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087122
Sample:
Participants — 110 mothers and 110 fathers of 5- to 12-year- old boys and girls
Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
Summary:
In this study, parents completed the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale and measures of child behaviour, parenting style, and marital satisfaction. We replicated the factor structure of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale produced by Johnston and Mash (1989), and provided evidence that the Satisfaction and Efficacy scales from this measure assess distinct aspects of parenting self-esteem. Interestingly, parents of girls reported higher Efficacy scores than parents of boys. To address the validity of the PSOC scale, we calculated partial correlations between Efficacy and Satisfaction PSOC scores and other measures of family functioning, controlling for the shared variance between the two scales. Significant small-to-moderate size correlations were found between parents' reports of both internalizing and externalizing child problems and Satisfaction scores, but correlations with Efficacy scores were generally small and nonsignificant, particularly for mothers. We also found that mothers and fathers who reported a more easy-going, low-conflict parenting style were more satisfied in parenting; for mothers, a similar relationship was found for parenting efficacy. In addition, Satisfaction scores shared a small but significant amount of variance with mother-father agreements in parenting style, as well as marital satisfaction.
Hess, C. R., Papas, M. A., & Black, M. M. (2002). Resilience among African American adolescent mothers: Predictors of positive parenting in early infancy. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27(7), 619629. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/27.7.619
Sample:
Participants — 181 first time, adolescent African American mothers
Race/Ethnicity — 100% African American
Summary:
This study examined the relationship between resiliency factors measured shortly after delivery and maternal parenting behavior at 6 months. Data on resiliency factors (maturity, self-esteem, and mother-grandmother relationships) were collected when infants were 1-4 weeks of age. Data on parental nurturance and parenting satisfaction were examined through observations and self-report at 6 months. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the longitudinal impact of resiliency factors on parental nurturance and parenting satisfaction. Maternal maturity, positive self-esteem, and positive adolescent mother-grandmother relationships (characterized by autonomy and mutuality) were associated with better parenting outcomes. Maternal parenting satisfaction was lowest when infants were temperamentally difficult and mothers and grandmothers had a confrontational relationship. Longitudinal associations between mother-grandmother relationships at delivery and parental behavior and satisfaction 6 months later may suggest an intergenerational transmission of parenting style.
Rogers, H., & Matthews, J. (2004). The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale: Investigation of the factor structure, reliability, and validity for an Australian sample. Australian Psychologist, 39(1), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050060410001660380
Sample:
Participants — 849 mothers and 329 fathers
Race/Ethnicity — Not reported – study conducted in Australia
Summary:
Investigation of the factor structure of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC) was conducted with an Australian sample. Two factors of Satisfaction and Efficacy were found that were largely consistent with previous research. In addition, a third factor redirecting interest in the parenting role emerged. The Satisfaction factor was strongly correlated with measures of child behaviour, parent wellbeing, and parenting style. Efficacy and Interest showed few correlations with these variables. Parent and child gender were not related to factor scores and child age showed a small relationship with PSOC scores for very young children. Use of the revised scale with separate scoring keys for mothers and fathers is recommended.
Gilmore, L. A., & Cuskelly, M. (2008). Factor structure of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale using a normative sample. Child: care, health & development, 35(1), 48–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2008.00867.x
Sample:
Participants — Non-clinical sample of 586 mothers and 615 fathers
Race/Ethnicity — Not reported – study was conducted in Australia
Summary:
Factor analysis produced three acceptable factors (Satisfaction, Efficacy, Interest) that accounted for 47.3% and 50.1% of the variance for mothers and fathers, respectively. Mothers reported higher efficacy than fathers, and fathers reported greater satisfaction with the parenting role than did mothers. The PSOC contains three useful factors that reflect satisfaction with the parental role, parenting efficacy and interest in parenting. The paper provides normative data against which at-risk groups can be compared.
Karp, S. M., Lutenbacher, M., & Wallston, K. A. (2015). Evaluation of the parenting sense of competence scale in mothers of infants. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(11), 3474–3481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0149-z
Sample:
Participants — 218 mothers
Race/Ethnicity — 52% African American, 48% Caucasian
Summary:
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 completed the 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.
