RESEARCH ARTICLE Towards a Model of Contemporary Parenting: The Parenting Behaviours and Dimensions Questionnaire

The assessment of parenting has been problematic due to theoretical disagreement, con-cerns over generalisability, and problems with the psychometric properties of current par-enting measures. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive, psychometrically sound self-report parenting measure for use with parents of preadolescent children, and to use this empirical scale development process to identify the core dimensions of contempo-rary parenting behaviour. Following item generation and parent review, 846 parents com-pleted an online survey comprising 116 parenting items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a six factor parenting model, comprising Emotional Warmth, Pu-nitive Discipline, Anxious Intrusiveness, Autonomy Support, Permissive Discipline and Democratic Discipline. This measure will allow for the comprehensive and consistent as-sessment of parenting in future research and practice