The Maternal Gatekeeping Scale: Constructing a Measure

Objective: To develop and test a measure that comprehensively captures the concept of maternal gatekeeping. Background: Maternal gatekeeping encompasses the ways in which mothers restrict or support father involvement with children. We proposed a three-dimensional (Encouragement, Discouragement, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Family relations 2017-12, Vol.66 (5), p.824-838
Main Authors: Puhlman, Daniel J., Pasley, Kay
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Objective: To develop and test a measure that comprehensively captures the concept of maternal gatekeeping. Background: Maternal gatekeeping encompasses the ways in which mothers restrict or support father involvement with children. We proposed a three-dimensional (Encouragement, Discouragement, and Control) model of gatekeeping to describe the nuances of the maternal gatekeeping, but no measures have yet been developed that provide scholars with a way to empirically test the theoretical model. Method: Data were collected from 256 mothers and 204 fathers of children between 3 and 7 years of age. A panel of national experts and parents established face validity, and a 3-factor solution resulted in separate models for mothers andfathers. Results: Correlations between the subscales and 2 established measures of gatekeeping and coparenting were examined to establish construct validity; the new measures correlated in expected ways. Conclusion: The use of different items for mothers andfathers will allow scholars to account for differences depending on whether the reporter is engaged in gatekeeping or the recipient of gatekeeping behavior. Implications: The new measure may be a useful tool for researchers attempting to measure maternal gatekeeping as a multidimensional construct.
ISSN:0197-6664
1741-3729
0197-6664
DOI:10.1111/fare.12287