A Tool to measure Parenting Self Efficacy
TOPSE has been developed as a tool to measure parenting self-efficacy and is used both in the UK and in many other countries to evaluate a range of parenting programmes and interventions. It was developed in the UK in response to public health nurses (health visitors) who identified the need for a reliable and valid instrument with which to assess the outcomes of their parenting work. (link to introduction).
TOPSE consists of 48 self-efficacy statements that address eight domains of parenting; emotion and affection, play and enjoyment, empathy and understanding, control, discipline and boundary setting, pressures of parenting, self-acceptance, and learning and knowledge. There are six self-efficacy statements for each domain and parents indicate how much they agree with each statement by responding to a Likert scale from 0-10 where 0 equates to completely disagree and 10 equates to completely agree.
Parents complete the TOPSE booklet on the first session of a parenting programme and again on the final session to determine any change in self-efficacy scores. The programme facilitator reassures each parent that there are no right or wrong answers and that parents are not being compared with each other. TOPSE may also be sent to parents four to six months following the parenting programme to establish whether changes in self-efficacy have been maintained.