The Fatherhood Scale

Abstract

This article reports on the initial validation of the Fatherhood Scale (FS), a 64-item instrument designed to measure the type of relationship a male adult had with his father while growing up. The FS was validated using a convenience sample of 311 males. The assessment packet contained a demographic form, the Conflict Tactics Scale (2), Self-Esteem Scale, and the Fatherhood Scale. A series of factor analysis resulted in 13 factors accounting for 75% of the variance. Factors with high correlations that were theoretically related to other factors were combined resulting in nine subscales measuring positive and negative paternal engagement, fatherhood roles, and paternal emotional responsiveness. The subscales attained high levels of internal consistency reliability, with alpha levels ranging from 0.80 to 0.96. The scale has an overall reliability of 0.98, and showed preliminary evidence of differentiating between groups of men on self-esteem and intimate partner violence. The FS is a new assessment tool designed for use by social work practitioners and researchers to assess an individual’s relationship with his father.