Culturally Informed Parenting Assessment: The Adaptation of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire With Input From Ugandan Experts and Parents

While parenting practices significantly influence children's developmental outcomes on a global scale, there has been limited comprehensive assessment of the cultural appropriateness of global parenting questionnaires in diverse cultural contexts by researchers. This study examined the cultural relevance of the widely used measure of parenting, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) among the Runyankole-speaking community in Uganda. Using a semi-structured interview approach, we interviewed 14 local experts to evaluate the measure. Additionally, 16 parents were interviewed to assess their comprehension of APQ scale items. Feedback from both experts and parents was used to revise and adapt the 42-item APQ scale. Additionally, we used feedback from experts and parents to add five items addressing key parenting practices relevant to the Ugandan context. The process resulted in a 32-item adapted APQ tailored for the target Ugandan context. This research is notable for its contribution to the decolonization of parenting assessment instruments, centered on the perspectives of participants in Uganda, a culturally diverse context. The availability of an adapted parenting measure holds significance for clinicians and researchers as it enables a more efficient and culturally sensitive evaluation of parenting practices. Furthermore, utilizing such a measure facilitates a deeper understanding of the components of parenting, warranting attention in the development of interventions for parents in the target setting.