Parental Stress Scale Validation

Abstract

Children with special needs require specialized therapy due to developmental problems or anomalies. To carry out treatment, attend suitable schooling, medicine, and even for daily activities, special needs children may require full or partial support from a caregiver. The high burden of caregivers with special needs generates a terrible quality of life, which impacts mental health and can even lead to unfavorable parental attitudes toward children with special needs. This study aims to validate the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) developed by Deater-Deckard. The Indonesian translation technique refers to the guidelines provided by the International Test Commission. The sample data comprises 250 individuals, including both mothers and caregivers. The results indicate a good fit of the second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) measurement model with the PSS. The reliability of the three PSS dimensions is robust, as evidenced by Composite Reliability (CR) and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values for parent distress (0.895; 0.552), difficult child (0.907; 0.594), and parent-child dysfunctional relationship (0.954; 0.749). Moreover, the PSS demonstrates both convergent and discriminant validity. Hence, the translation findings affirm the legitimacy and reliability of the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) for use in the Indonesian context.