Development of a Parenting Skills Questionnaire for Parents of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a Parenting Skills Questionnaire for parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (PSQ-A), and to examine its reliability and validity. 116 mothers of junior high and high school students with autism spectrum disorder completed questionnaire. A factor analysis revealed that PSQ-A had a 2-factor structure; "children's behavior promotion skills" and "response skills". PSQ-A had a sufficiently degree of internal consistency. Additionally, validity of PSQ-A was confirmed to some extents. Scores of "children's behavior promotion skills" and "response skills" were correlated positively with total and subscale scores of positive parenting behaviors on Positive and Negative Parenting Scale (PNPS). However total and subscale scores of negative parenting behaviors on PNPS were negatively correlated only with scores of "response skills". The applicability of PSQ-A for parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, limitations of this study, and directions of future research were discussed.