Factorial Structure and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form in Hong Kong and Thailand

Participatory Design for Cognitive Science: Examples From the Learning Sciences and Human-Computer Interaction

Given the recent call to strengthen collaboration between researchers and relevant practitioners, we consider participatory design as a way to advance Cognitive Science. Building on examples from the Learning Sciences and Human-Computer Interaction, we (a) explore what, why, who, when, and where researchers can collaborate with community members in Cognitive Science research; (b) examine the ways in which participatory-design research can benefit the field; and (c) share ideas to incorporate participatory design into existing basic and applied research programs. Through this article, we hope to spark deeper discussions on how cognitive scientists can collaborate with community members to benefit both research and practice.

Factor structure of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form used in the Japan Environment and Children's Study

The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) has been widely employed to assess parenting stress in a number of research and clinical trials. To date, no parenting stress studies in Japan have examined the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the PSI-SF. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of this 19-item version as administered in a national cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children's Study, to two sample groups of mothers, those with a 1.5-year-old child and those with a 2.5-year-old child (n = 79,282 and 75,831, respectively). We performed exploratory factor analysis to re-examine the appropriate factor structure, confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate goodness of fit, and calculated Cronbach's α and Pearson's r coefficients to evaluate internal consistency and reproducibility over time, respectively. The results highlighted that a three-factor structure fit the instrument better than a two-factor structure, yielding better scores for the model fit indices and the α and r coefficients. In addition, the third factor identified in this study was strongly associated with having a relationship with and help from the husband. The findings suggest the importance of using a parenting stress scale with various factors to evaluate mothers' parenting stress.

Parental Stress Assessment with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI): A Systematic Review of Its Psychometric Properties

Parental stress is a construct related to people's perception of difficulties and feelings of not being able to cope with the demands of parenting. This construct is often experienced as a negative or aversive response to parental obligations, and the available evidence also suggests that excessive parenting stress reduces the use of positive parenting behaviors and are related to dysfunctional parenting. Different instruments exist to assess parental stress. This article is part of a project to translate and adapt the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), fourth edition, in its two forms (full and short). The aim of this research is to identify the psychometric indicators obtained by this instrument and to review the evidence they can provide.

METHOD

Following the PRISMA guide (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), the studies related to the PSI were identified in different databases (ERIC, PsycArticles, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science).

RESULTS

The screening process resulted in 16 articles; four have analyzed the psychometric properties of the PSI-4 and the rest have studied the PSI-3. Although version 4 was published in 2012, the studies are scarce. However, they follow the line noted in the previous short version, a high internal consistency and a factor structure of three factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The difficulties of working with a measurement instrument with 101 items means that the full version of the PSI has been little studied, except in translation and linguistic adaptation studies.

Sensitivity Training for Mothers With Premature Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

This single-blind parallel design randomized controlled trial evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program (MITP) in enhancing Chinese mothers' sensitivity towards their premature infants' physiological and social cues.

METHODS

Sixty mothers of hospitalized premature infants (mean gestational age = 32.1 weeks; SD = 2.8) were randomly assigned to either the MITP group or the treatment-as-usual control group. The intervention group (n = 30) received four sessions of parental sensitivity training adapted from the MITP, delivered by clinical psychologists before the infants were discharged. The control group (n = 30) received standard care provided by the hospitals. Each dyad was assessed at baseline (Time 1), immediately after intervention (Time 2), and when the infants were at the gestation-corrected ages of 3, 6, 9, and 12 months (Times 3-6). Maternal sensitivity, mother-infant interaction quality, parenting stress, postpartum depression, and mother's perception of infant's temperament were measured at Times 1-4, whereas infants' weight gain and developmental performance were assessed at Times 3-6.

RESULTS

The MITP group showed significantly higher maternal sensitivity and better mother-infant interaction quality after completing the training. They also reported less parenting stress and postnatal depression than the control group at Time 2 and subsequent follow-ups. The intervention significantly predicted better weight gain and developmental outcomes in infants across Times 3-6, mediated by maternal wellbeing and interaction quality.

CONCLUSION

 Our results demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of this adapted sensitivity training among Chinese mothers with premature infants. [ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04383340].