Psychometric Properties of a Comprehensive Parenting Practice Measure for Parents of Adolescents

Many measures exist that assess parenting skills and practices. Few comprehensive measures for parents of adolescents (13–17 years) exist. The aim of the current study was to develop a comprehensive assessment measure of parenting practices based on items from existing measures. Research and clinical settings can benefit from the advancement of a valid and more inclusive measure of parenting to assess youth behavior and functioning. This study utilized a sample that included 387 caregivers and youth (mean age of youth = 13.6, SD = .59) from a longitudinal study examining contextual influences on youths’ substance use initiation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on 12 parent-report measures of parenting. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on a second sample, which included peers (N = 362, mean age of peers = 13.6, SD = 1.09) and peers’ caregivers of the youth included in the original sample. The EFA results indicated a three-factor solution (i.e., parental knowledge and affective relationships, parental control, parental communication and involvement), which was supported in the CFA. The final measure demonstrated strong internal consistency and satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. This study supported the sound psychometrical features of the Parenting Practice Measure (PPM), a comprehensive measure of parenting quality for adolescent samples. The PPM can serve as a tool for clinicians to design more targeted treatment plans and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments when working with parents with children in the early teenage years.