Development of a Brief Coparenting Measure: The Coparenting Competence Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Family Studies
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Coparenting competence (CC) reflects parents' collective efficacy in child-rearing.
• Existing research often focuses on individual parental self-efficacy, leaving a gap in understanding shared parenting efficacy.
• CC integrates family systems theory with efficacy theory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a self-reported measure for coparenting competence (CC).
• To create a brief, reliable, and valid scale for assessing CC.

Main Methods:

• A 112-item online survey was administered to 302 parents (240 mothers, 62 fathers).
• The survey included demographic questions, the Coparenting Relationship Scale (CRS), Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and 36 items for CC.
• Factor analysis was used to identify items for the Coparenting Competence Scale (CCS).

Main Results:

• Factor analysis identified 10 items forming the brief Coparenting Competence Scale (CCS) with high reliability (Alpha = 0.89).
• The CCS demonstrated convergent validity with parenting self-efficacy (PSOC; r = 0.47) and coparenting quality (CRS; r = 0.63).
• The CCS showed a significant association with the SDQ, stronger than the CRS association, indicating its unique contribution.

Conclusions:

• The Coparenting Competence Scale (CCS) is a reliable and valid measure.
• The CCS captures a construct distinct from previously used coparenting quality measures.
• The CCS shows promise for advancing coparenting research due to its strong associations with child outcomes (SDQ).