The Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (EIPSES)

Abstract

The psychometric properties of an instrument designed to measure parenting efficacy within the context of early intervention, the Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (EIPSES), were explored. One hundred seventeen caregivers of children receiving early intervention services completed the 20-item EIPSES. The scale was reduced to 16 items with an internal reliability coefficient of .80. Preliminary factor analyses revealed a 2-dimensional structure for the EIPSES, one related to Parent Outcome Expectations and a second reflecting Parent Competence, together accounting for 37% of the variance. The Parent Outcome Expectations factor was conceptualized as a measure of parents' beliefs in the role of environmental influences, such as early intervention, on children's development. The Parent Competence factor was conceptualized as parents' beliefs in their abilities to promote children's developmental outcomes. Subscale reliability analyses and correlations among related constructs provide initial support for the utility of the EIPSES in assessing task-specific early intervention–related parental self-efficacy.