Measuring Parenting Self-Efficacy from Pregnancy into Early Childhood: Longitudinal Factor Analysis and Measurement Invariance

Objective. Parenting self-efficacy is an important and widely examined construct in parenting research. Yet, studies that thoroughly assess the psychometrics properties of scales that assess parenting self-efficacy are scarce. We examined the longitudinal factor structure and measurement invariance of a self-report measure of parenting self-efficacy. Design. A sample of 1,851 first-time mothers completed the 16-item Self-Efficacy in the Nurturing Role questionnaire at 12, 22, and 32 weeks gestation and 3, 12, and 24 months postnatal. Results. Factor analyses indicated that the SENR consisted of two dimensions at all timepoints: Confidence in parenting skills and Lack of insecurity/distress in the parenting role. Strict measurement invariance was found for the SENR across prenatal timepoints, but only metric measurement invariance across postnatal timepoints. Conclusions. Parenting self-efficacy is a multidimensional construct, consisting of cognitive and emotionally laden appraisals of the ability to parent. Across the transition into motherhood, as mothers gain more experience in their parenting role, parenting self-efficacy levels and the way mothers answer the questions that assess parenting self-efficacy change.