Construção e validação da Escala de Habilidades Parentais em Disciplina Positiva

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to construct and to investigate the validity and reliability of the Positive Discipline Parenting Skills Scale (EHPDP). A theoretical review was performed on Parenting Styles, Schema Therapy and Positive Discipline, where four emotional needs of children that should be met by their caregivers were identified. These four emotional needs became the initial dimensions of the scale, and were the basis for the construction of the 36 items of its first version. These items were evaluated for clarity, pertinence and relevance by five expert judges on the topic, presenting adequate Content Validity Coefficients. Cohen's Kappa coefficients indicated substantial agreement among the expert judges. Although the results found were satisfactory, 14 items were modified and an six items were excluded. The second version of the EHPDP was evaluated by a group that was representative of the target audience, which led to language adjustments in 20 items, and the exclusion of two more items to ensure correct understanding. The final instrument had 28 items, and was answered by a sample of 281 mothers, together with the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (QEDP), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). A sequence of Exploratory Factor Analyses led to a model of 16 items divided into three factors, which showed good indexes of adjustment and theoretical adequacy. In order to generate evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the EHPDP, its relations with QEDP and DASS-21 were assessed using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. Reliability was verified using Cronbach's Alpha, Composite Reliability and the H index. The results indicate significant evidence of factorial, convergent and discriminant validity and of reliability for the EHPDP. Future studies should be conducted with larger samples, composed of mothers, fathers and other caregivers of different educational levels, in order to guarantee a more representative sample of Brazilian family structures. It´s also suggested that other studies attempt to build new items for the “Kind and firm discipline” dimension, since this would contribute to a version of the EHPDP that could represent the full range of what is proposed by Positive Discipline.