Validation of the Norwegian version of the Tool to Measure Parenting Self‐Efficacy (TOPSE) questionnaire in families with children and adolescents with acquired brain injury

Objectives

This study aimed to validate the Norwegian translations of the Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy (TOPSE) and its equivalent for parents of adolescents in families with children and adolescents with paediatric acquired brain injury (pABI).

Methods

Parents of children (6–16 years) 1 year or more after acquired brain injury (ABI) who participated in the Child in Context Intervention (CICI) study were included. Parents of children younger than 10 years completed the TOPSE, whereas those with kids 10 years or older completed the Teen TOPSE. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. Test–retest reliability was explored with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), t-tests and coefficients of variation. Standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change were also assessed. Correlations were used to explore discriminant validity in relation to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ-P), Health and Behavior Inventory (HBI), Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 (BRIEF-2), an estimate of the children's abstract thinking (WISC-V), the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and the McMaster Family Assessment Device, General Functioning Scale (FAD-GF).

Results

Overall internal consistency was excellent, with Cronbach's alphas of 0.94 for TOPSE and 0.96 for Teen TOPSE, whereas internal consistency for most subscales was good. Test–retest reliability of the TOPSE and Teen TOPSE was good (ICCs = 0.90 and 0.89). Discriminant validity showed that the strongest correlation between both versions of TOPSE and other measures was a moderate correlation with family functioning (FAD-GF). To increase statistical power and due to the negligible differences between the questionnaires, results for a merged TOPSE/Teen TOPSE are also presented.

Conclusion

Norwegian versions of the TOPSE and Teen TOPSE have good to excellent psychometric properties and are valid and reliable measures to assess parenting self-efficacy in families with a child or teen with pABI.