Convergent and discriminant validity of measures of parenting efficacy and control

Examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Parent Attribution Test (PAT; Bugental, Blue, & Cruzcosa, 1989), the Parental Locus of Control Scale (PLOC; Campis, Lyman, & Prentice-Dunn, 1986), and the Parenting Sense of Competence-Efficacy Scale (PSOC-Efficacy; Johnston & Mash, 1989) in 3 samples of community mothers. In the 1st 2 samples, mothers also completed measures of negative affect and social desirability. In the 3rd sample, the PAT and PSOC-Efficacy scales were administered with measures of adult attachment style and child behavior problems. There was weak support for the convergent validity of the measures. Moreover, the discriminant validity of the measures was not adequately demonstrated. Our results suggest that PLOC and PSOC-Efficacy scores may reflect distress and response style as well as beliefs about parenting. Scores on the PAT, although less influenced by response style and distress, appear to reflect a different dimension of efficacy than that assessed by other self-report measures.