Factorial analysys of the parental cumulative psychosocial risk questionnaire

Parenting should be conceived as a dynamic process effected by multiple and multi-level historical and current influences (Belsky & Vondra, 1989). The cumulative effects of multiple “distal” risk factors such as education and income, and “proximal” risk factors such as parental stress, supports, and depressive symptoms, are more influential than the effect of any risk factor alone (Sameroff, 2000). The present study is part of a PRIN research funding aimed to a) identify how post-partum depression throughout the first year of the child’s life might affect the mother-infant interaction and affect regulation, b) analyze the relationship between these variables and the quality of attachment and possible indicators of risk in children with respect to psychopathological problems in the second year of life; c) identify mediating factors with respect to these variables. The current work focuses on the last objective and aims to verify the factorial structure of the Parental Cumulative Psychosocial Risk Questionnaire (PCPSRQ; PRIN, 2013), created to collect information on first time fathers and mothers by means of a self-report. 650 first time parents, 268 mother-father dyads and 114 mothers (mothers’ mean age= 32.9 yrs; SD 6.16; fathers’ mean age= 36.8, SD= 6.12) completed the PCPSRQ during the 6th month of pregnancy. Dichotomous individual, historical, social, and circumstantial variables were included. The Factorial analysis with Mplus confirmed the PCPSRQ hypothesized factorial structure (e.g., medical pregnancy, paternal mental disorders, maternal mental disorders). The PCPSRQ appears as a valid instrument in order to evaluate cumulative risks that need to be considered in supporting the child’s health and her/his relationship with the caregiver. This research is supported by grants from PRIN 2013/2016 20107JZAF4, Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR).