Scoping review of parenting instruments used in evidence-based family support programs in different populations

The quality of parenting is a critical aspect of children’s development. For practitioners and stakeholders to determine which programs yield the most desirable outcomes in specific contexts, each program must undergo rigorous evaluation, with an emphasis on selecting appropriate, reliable, and context-sensitive instruments. This scoping review aimed to identify the instruments used to measure parental outcomes in evidence-based family support programs (EBFSPs) and to compare their reliability as measured by Cronbach’s α and validity as reflected in multi-informant and multi-method approaches in general, at-risk, and clinical populations. A systematic search for articles published between 2000 and 2022 was conducted in SCOPUS, Web of Science, and PsychINFO. Sixty-seven articles met the eligibility criteria. Among them, 24 focused on clinical populations, 22 involved families at risk, and 21 concerned general populations. Parenting behavior instruments were reported in 37 studies, followed by instruments measuring attitudes (17), mental health (17), and self-regulation (11). Psychometric properties were assessed in only two thirds of the studies, which reported Cronbach’s α values. Reliability was reported significantly less frequently in clinical and at-risk populations than in general populations. Furthermore, less than one third of the studies employed multi-informant and multi-method methodologies. These findings underscore the need for more consistent psychometric reporting and improved methodological standards for instrument selection in EBFSPs. The results also highlight the importance of adapting parental outcome instruments to specific sociocultural contexts.