Turkish validity and reliability of the parental competence questionnaire in the paediatric hospital emergency setting (ECP-U)

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to conduct Turkish validity and reliability study of the parental competence questionnaire in the paediatric hospital emergency setting. Methods: This study is a descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational and methodological study. Participants were 624 parents with children aged 0-14 who presented to the paediatric emergency department between December 2023 and July 2024. The study was carried out in the emergency department of three hospitals in three different regions of Turkey. The data were collected by using the demographic information form and parental competence questionnaire in the paediatric hospital emergency setting, state and trait anxiety inventory, and parental stress questionnaire. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, Horn's parallel analysis, Catell's scree test, Cronbach's ordinal alpha coefficients and Pearson correlation were used in the data analysis. Results: The mean age of the mothers included in the study was 34.63 +/- 6.94, and the mean age of the fathers was 37.88 +/- 7.83. The scale consisted of 18 items and three sub-dimensions: emotional management and expression, social support, and parental agency, explaining 60 % of the total variance. It was determined that the Cronbach's ordinal alpha coefficients of the scale factors were greater than 0.745. There is a negative correlation between the parental stress questionnaire, the state and trait anxiety inventory, and the parental competence questionnaire in the paediatric hospital emergency setting. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the parental competence questionnaire in the paediatric hospital emergency setting is a valid and reliable measurement tool for the Turkish population.