Longitudinal Measurement Invariance of the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSoC): Evidence to Question Its Use?
Nicole Gridley, Kate Mooney, Sarah Blower and 3 others
PMID 39739339WHAT IT FOUND
The Parenting Sense of Competence scale is not stable over time for parents of infants.
Scores shift as children develop, so this measure cannot reliably track changes in parenting competence. Clinicians should avoid using it to assess progress in this group.
Key findings
01The three-factor model of the PSoC showed better fit than the two-factor model at baseline, but failed to meet standards for metric and scalar invariance over 18 months.
02Factor loadings for key items changed significantly between baseline and 18 months, indicating that the meaning of the items shifted for parents as their infants developed.
03The authors conclude that the PSoC has little stability over time and should be used with care as an outcome measure for parents of young children.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was drawn from a randomised controlled trial of a parenting intervention, which may not represent the general population of parents. 46 participants were excluded due to missing data, and those who remained differed significantly from those who dropped out in terms of marital status and education. The study only examined parents of infants up to 20 months, so findings may not apply to older children. The study did not test the PSoC across different demographic groups, so it is unclear if the instability applies to all parents.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a change in PSoC score reflects a real change in a parent's competence. The study found that the items themselves changed meaning for parents over time, so a score difference may just reflect the infant's development rather than the parent's skill.