Identifying the Developmental Directions and Components of a Strength Scale for Fathers of Children in Early Childhood

Objective: This study aimed to explore the developmental directions and components of a strength scale for fathers of children in early childhood, grounded in a strength-based approach. Methods: Two rounds of focus group interviews were conducted with a total of eight participants, including experts in positive psychology, early childhood education, and parent education, as well as parents themselves. Interview data were categorized and interpreted using thematic analysis. Results: Fathers’ strengths were identified as positive parenting competencies evaluated on the basis of intra-individual comparison and confirmed as developmental resources that can be enhanced and dynamically manifested in actual parenting situations such as caregiving, play, discipline, and daily management. Six dimensions of paternal strengths-relational, cognitive, volitional, temperance-related, social, and transcendental-were derived, along with 37 sub-factors. Regarding the development of the strength scale, experts suggested that it should be designed as a reliable and valid tool to objectively evaluate fathers’ intra-individual strengths, enabling them to discover and utilize their strengths as positive parenting resources. They further emphasized that the items should comprehensively cover core parenting competencies and be constructed in a concise and clear self-report format using a 5-point Likert scale. Conclusions: This study, derived the developmental directions and dimensions of a strength scale for fathers of children in early childhood based on a strength-based approach, potentially contributing to future research as well as the development of parent education and childcare support programs.