EC Paediatrics

Cooperative parenting by couples after the birth of a child is a topic that has been attracting attention in Japan and other countries because of its positive impact on mothers, fathers, and children. In this study, a 29-item co-parenting awareness scale was developed based on an interview survey conducted with Japanese respondents. A confirmatory factor analysis of the co-parenting awareness scale was conducted using the marriage “reality” scale and the marital communication attitude scale to test the reliability and validity of the co-parenting awareness scale, analyze its associations with time spent parenting, number of children, age of children, and prenatal discussions, and develop a short version of the scale. A preliminary online survey was conducted with 1000 mothers and fathers using the self-administered questionnaire tool of the academic and research institution Freeasy. In the main survey, 378 parents of children up to 5 years old who had expressed a willingness to take part in the study were invited to participate, and 334 responses were received. Based on the analysis, a co-parenting awareness short scale composed of 15 items in 4 sub-scales was developed, with the following factor names and item numbers (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient): “Mutual emotional support”, 4 items (0.84); “Mutual material support”, 4 items (0.82); “Parenting agreements and negotiations”, 3 items (0.73); “Difficulty sharing responsibility”, 4 items (0.77). The Co-parenting Awareness Short Scale was significantly associated with parenting time, number of children, age of children, and prenatal discussions of shared parenting. Characteristics relating to age of children, discussion of shared parenting during pregnancy, and awareness of parental cooperation using the Co-parenting awareness short scale were predictive of active parenting behavior.

 Keywords: Co-Parenting; Short Scale; Development; Associated Factors; Childcare Time

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