| Learning Objective #1: Discuss the theoretical framework that guided the development of the Parental Belief Scale for mothers of critically-ill and hospitalized children | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the validity and reliability of the Parental Belief Scale for mothers of critically-ill and hospitalized children |
The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and the reliability of a 20-item Likert scale constructed to measure parental beliefs about their hospitalized children’s emotional and behavioral responses to hospitalization and their role in facilitating their children’s adjustment. In a series of 3 randomized clinical trials, this construct was hypothesized to mediate the effects of a parent-focused intervention program on the coping outcomes of mothers of hospitalized and critically ill young children. A theoretical framework comprised of self-regulation and control theories was used to develop the 20 item parental belief scale.
The PBS was initially developed from a comprehensive review of the literature on parenting during hospitalization. Psychometric testing was performed on data obtained from 3 intervention studies with mothers of hospitalized and critically ill children, with a combined total sample of 273 subjects.
Content and face validity was established by a panel of experts and a group of mothers. Construct validity was assessed by a Principal Components Analysis with a varimax rotation. Factor analysis yielded support for two factors (i.e., parental beliefs about their children and beliefs about their role), which accounted for 42.8 percent of the variance in the scale. The PBS also was found to be predictive of the mothers’ coping outcomes. Cronbach alphas for the two subscales were .85 and .79 respectively and .89 for the total scale.
Psychometric testing supports the validity and reliability of the IPS. Ideally, this instrument could be used as an early hospital assessment tool to identify mothers who are at high risk for poor coping outcomes during and following their children’s hospitalizations so that early interventions can be implemented to prevent negative outcomes.
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