Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire parent form

ABSTRACT

The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire parent form (APQ-P) is one of the most commonly used measures to assess parenting practices. The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of the APQ-P using a community sample of 499 Portuguese mothers of children and adolescents aged 10 to 17 years. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed adequate psychometric properties of a three-factor model (positive parenting, ineffective parenting, and poor monitoring) in a solution of 20-items. After comparing the three-factor model across children’s age groups (≤13 vs. ≥14), partial metric and partial scalar invariance were found. Items loadings were similar between groups for ineffective parenting and poor monitoring, and factor scores were similar between groups for positive parenting. The 20-item version can be an appropriate measure of parenting, relevant for research and intervention purposes. Future studies should validate the current findings in independent samples, and devote particular attention to different parenting practices across different children’s age groups.     

Miseries Suffered,Unvoiced, Unknown? Communication of Suicidal Intent by Men in “Rural” Queensland,Australia

It has long been argued that suicide prevention efforts in rural locations face not only structural barriers, such as a lack of accessible health care and specialized mental health services, but also a range of cultural barriers. A commonly discussed cultural factor that may contribute to higher rural suicide rates is low levels of help‐seeking behavior, which in turn act as a barrier to accessing and receiving care. However, the assumption that suicide by rural men is more likely to be accompanied by low help‐seeking behavior, relative to urban men, has not been well tested. Using data from the Queensland Suicide Register, this study evaluates one form of help‐seeking behavior—communication of suicidal intent—among men who died by suicide. Contrary to the expectation that suicide in rural areas would be associated with lower levels of help‐seeking behavior than suicide in urban areas, it was found that communication of suicidal intent was broadly comparable across rural and urban settings. The implications for suicide prevention policies and service delivery strategies are discussed.