Evaluating a Shortened Version of the Incredible Years (IY) Basic Programme in a Non-clinical Community Sample

Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (Robinson et al., 1980). The ECBI provides a list of 36 problem behaviours commonly reported by parents of children with disruptive behaviour problems. The inventory assesses behaviour on two dimensions: the frequency of the behaviour and its identification as a problem. The frequency ratings range from 1 (never) to 7 (always), and are summed to yield an overall problem behaviour Intensity score (Cronbach's alpha 1⁄4 0.82) ranging from 36 to 252.

A questionnaire consisting of 12 questions was developed to assess parents' reasons for participating in child rearing classes. Three subscales measure parental concern (five items, a 1⁄4 0.82), motivation to learn (three items, a 1⁄4 0.42), and own/other's opinion (three items, a 1⁄4 0.42). The questionnaire was sent to all participants in the study. Examples of the questions were: ''I was concerned for my child's behaviour'', ''I was uncertain of how to raise my child'', and ''I think it's interesting to learn about children''. All questions were answered using a five-point Likert scale from ''agree'' to ''disagree''.

Parents Sense of Competence (Johnston and Mash, 1989). The PSOC consists of 16 items about parents' confidence on being a parent, answered on a six-point scale ranging from ''strongly disagree'' to ''strongly agree''. Scoring for some items is reversed so that, for all items, higher scores indicate greater parenting self-esteem. Two subscales measure efficacy (seven items, a 1⁄4 0.69) and satisfaction (nine items, a 1⁄4 0.77) in parenting.

Parent Stress Index, Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995). The PSI-SF is a 36 item self-report measure of parenting stress, derived from the full version PSI. The PSI-SF yields a total stress (a 1⁄4 0.90) in addition to scores on three scales: parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction, and difficult child.

Parenting Practices Interview (Webster-Stratton et al., 2001). The PPI was adapted from the Oregon Social Learning Centre's Discipline Questionnaire. Two subscales were used; Harsh Discipline (14 items, a 1⁄4 0.79), and Positive Parenting (15 items, a 1⁄4 0.67). Parents reported the probability and the frequency with which they used the different strategies on a seven-point scale.