Test of parenting skills

An item pool was developed to assess basic parenting skills in the areas of attachment, emotional capacity, judgment, knowledge of child development, and safety. Initially, 200 items were generated and completed by a sample of 15 parents. Item scores correlated with scores on a social desirability scale or having low variance were edited or eliminated. A sample of 56 parents completed the revised scale, a social desirability scale, and the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory. The reliabilities of the final subscales of the Test of Parenting Skills were modest, ranging from .56 to .77. Scores on the subscales were also correlated with those subscales from the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory. With the exception of the Judgment scores being correlated with the use of harsh discipline, the significant correlations suggested concurrent validity. The individual subscales require additional refinement to achieve adequate internal consistency, but they have potential for measuring competency in core parenting skills.