Evaluating the measurement invariance of the parenting practices scale in the Caribbean

The purpose of this study was to assess the factor structure and measurement invariance of the three-factor (nurturance, monitoring, discipline) 29-item Parenting Practices Scale across four Caribbean islands-Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, The Bahamas, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines-with data from 1948 adolescent Caribbean grade 10 students. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted, and the findings supported the original three-factor model, and factor loading invariance was found across the four Caribbean islands. These findings suggest that this parenting measure may be used to compare perceptions of parental behaviors among adolescents in the English-speaking Caribbean with some limitations that are discussed.