Psychometric properties of the Coparenting Relationship Scale in Chinese parents

Objective This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Coparenting Relationship Scale (CRS) in Chinese samples. Background The coparenting relationship serves an important role in raising children. The CRS was originally developed to measure the multidimensionality of the coparenting relationship. However, its latent structure and psychometric properties have not been extensively addressed, particularly in non-Western cultures. Method Data were collected from a sample of 991 Chinese families (991 mothers, 967 fathers, 31-57 years of age). Confirmatory factor analyses were utilized to provide evidence of the theoretical factorial structure. Internal consistency was examined by Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. Correlations with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were to verify criterion validity. Configural, metric, scalar, and residual variance invariance were examined across the gender of parents in dyadic perspective. Results In contrast to a poor fit for the seven-factor structure of the original 35-item CRS, the Chinese version of the CRS (CRS-C) showed a good fit in a six-factor structure with 27 items. The CRS-C showed strict measurement invariance across gender of the parent, satisfactory internal consistency, and criterion-related validity as indicated by marital quality. Conclusions These findings provided preliminary evidence that the CRS-C is reliable and valid for measuring the coparenting relationship among Chinese parents. Implications Coparenting relationship and its measurement will benefit from attention in non-Western contexts and cross-cultural studies.