Validity and reliability of the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale among Japanese mothers

The Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale is a valid and reliable measure used to assess perceived parental self-efficacy, which is a critical component in facilitating adaptation to parenthood. In the current study, we translated the original version of the scale, developed in Australia, into Japanese and examined the validity and reliability of the translation, including its factor structure. A Web-based survey was administered to 316 mothers of children aged 0-12 months between May and June 2016. The results revealed that the Japanese version had a two factor structure: "self-efficacy for infant care" and "self-efficacy for parental role". The concurrent/convergent validity of the Japanese version was examined with an acceptable Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each subscale. The present findings indicate that the Japanese version of the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale is a valid and reliable measure to assess parenting self-efficacy among Japanese mothers of infants. The results suggest further assessment of parental self-efficacy by using each subscale. Additionally, future studies should replicate the factor structures across varied or large populations.