Development and Validation of the Parent Attitudes, Agency and Practices Scale

Gendered parenting occurs from birth of the child and is an important influence on child development outcomes. At present, there is no validated, change sensitive measure of gendered parenting that captures parenting behaviours as well as associated cognitions which contribute to gendered parenting practices. This study aimed to develop and validate the Parent Attitudes, Agency and Practices Scale (PAAPS), a parent self-report measure of parent attitudes, personal agency and gendered parenting practices. Exploratory factor analyses (N = 253) indicated that the PAAPS consists of a total of seven subscales. Within the PAAPS Attitudes Scale, two factors of Traditional and Egalitarian attitudes were identified. Two factors were determined within the PAAPS Agency Scale – Resignation to Essentialism and Active Agency. The PAAPS Practices Scale was found to comprise three factors – Gender Stereotypical, Gender Neutral and Cross Gender Activities. Analyses to establish convergent validity of the PAAPS with other established scales were also conducted. Most factors demonstrated good internal consistency, with the exception of the Active Agency subscale. Overall, the findings demonstrate promising psychometric properties of the PAAPS and its potential to improve our understanding of gendered parenting. Study limitations and future validation research to be conducted are discussed. Previous studies have explored the nature of gendered parenting and its impacts, but there is no validated measure of gendered parenting. The 40-item Parent Attitudes, Agency, and Practices Scale (PAAPS) was developed as a parent self-report measure of parent attitudes, personal agency, and gendered parenting practices. Exploratory Factor Analyses were conducted with 253 participants. Two factors were obtained within the PAAPS Attitudes Scale, two factors were identified within the Agency Scale, and three factors were found within the Practices Scale. PAAPS can be used to shape and support future parent intervention programmes and determine their effectiveness.