The structure of parenting : a psychometric evaluation of the parenting dimensions inventory (PDI)

Parenting is a construct which is central to all comprehensive theories of child development, socialization, and psychopathology. However, parenting as a scientific construct has not been adequately defined in terms of a coherent theoretical framework. The research reported here presents a multidimensional model of parenting which integrates the current parenting literature. A new assessment device, the Parenting Dimensions Inventory (PDI), was developed to measure the constructs in the proposed model. Psychometric evaluation of the PDI revealed useful measurement properties, including unidimensional scale factor structures and high scale reliabilities. Structural equation modeling analyses supported the hypothesized multidimensional model of parenting and provided construct validity for the PDI. Variations in parenting, assessed by the PDI, accounted for a significant amount of the variation in children's adjustment, measured by the Child Behavior Checklist. These findings indicate the utility of the multidimensional parenting model, as well as the reliability, construct validity and predictive validity of the PDI.Psychology, Department o