A psychometric instrument of coparenting: selection, transcultural adaptation and initial evidence of internal validity

Abstract

Now that the majority of women who have young children are economically active, childcare in the home environment is usually shared with the child's father. In this new social context, the concept of coparenting has emerged. Coparenting is used to describe the ways in which parents work together to care for their children, focusing on their parenting performance. However, although there are a number of instruments in use in other countries, there are no psychometric instruments for coparenting available in Brazil, which could facilitate the work of professionals when they are working on strengthening relationships between parents. The objectives of this research proposal will be addressed via two studies: 1) a systematic literature review to choose a coparenting instrument that can be adapted for use in Brazil; 2) evaluation of the transcultural adaptation of this instrument, including an examination of the semantic, conceptual, cultural, idiomatic, operational and measurement equivalence (internal consistency of the Brazilian version of the instrument. In the last stage of the second study, the coparenting instrument will be tested with a sample of 25 Brazilian couples who live together with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 6 years of age. As such, on the basis of these studies, it will be possible to obtain some initial information about the psychometric properties of an instrument that could be used to evaluate coparenting in Brazil, making it possible to monitor the results of intervention programs that aim to prevent problems and help parents interact successfully in their parenting roles. (AU)