Identifying Japanese mothers of infants and toddlers at risk of parenting isolation: A validation study of cutoff scores and associated psychosocial measures

Abstract

Aims

To determine a cutoff score for the Social Connectivity of Mothers with People in the Community Scale (SCMPCS) and revalidate the scale using additional psychosocial indicators.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from one arm of a randomized trial including 259 mothers with children under 3 years of age in Sapporo City, Japan. Reliability and structural validity were reassessed using Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis. Parenting isolation was operationally defined as the absence of support from informal, community-based, and formal sources and used as the reference classification for ROC analysis. Predictive validity was examined using logistic regression adjusted for maternal age, educational attainment, daycare use, and perceived economic status. Criterion-related validity was evaluated using Mann–Whitney U tests.

Results

The SCMPCS showed good internal consistency (α = 0.85) and acceptable model fit (CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.073). ROC analysis identified a cutoff of 30 or lower with moderate discriminatory ability (AUC = 0.73; sensitivity = 0.92; specificity = 0.50). Mothers at or below the cutoff had higher odds of meeting the operational reference classification of parenting isolation (OR = 11.94, 95% CI: 2.74–52.03) and reported lower self-efficacy and capacity to receive support, greater loneliness, and poorer well-being.

Conclusions

The SCMPCS demonstrated stable psychometric performance, and the validated cutoff may support broad preventive screening to identify mothers who may need further assessment and early follow-up. Rather than serving as a diagnostic threshold, this cutoff may help maternal and child health services provide timely preventive support.