Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HFPI)

Abstract

The Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HFPI) is a 63-item self-report measure developed to assess key outcomes targeted by family support and Home Visitation programs, such as Healthy Families America. The instrument is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of parental strengths and challenges across multiple domains crucial for effective parenting and family stability. It measures nine distinct dimensions, ranging from individual psychological well-being (e.g., Depression and Problem Solving) to relational and environmental factors (e.g., Social Support and Home Environment). The HFPI serves as a vital tool for program evaluation, clinical practice, and research aimed at monitoring parental change over time.

Keywords

Parenting Inventory, Healthy Families, Home Visitation, Parent-Child Interaction, Parenting Efficacy, Social Support, Parental Stress, Problem Solving, Depression.

Authors

W. L. LeCroy, J. Krysik, J. Milligan

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HFPI) is to function as an outcome measure, specifically tailored for evaluating the effectiveness of intervention programs designed to support new and at-risk parents. By capturing changes across critical areas of parental functioning, the HFPI allows researchers and program administrators to quantify the benefits of services like Home Visitation. It provides a standardized method for assessing domains that are often central to program goals, such as enhancing parent-child relationships and boosting parental competence.

Furthermore, the instrument is utilized in clinical settings to identify specific areas where parents may require additional assistance. Its multidimensional structure ensures that assessments are holistic, covering not just direct parenting skills but also underlying factors like mental health and access to external resources.

Construct

The HFPI measures a broad Psychological Construct encompassing nine interrelated domains of parental functioning and well-being. These domains reflect a comprehensive model of what constitutes a “healthy family” environment and resilient parent. The nine subscales are designed to capture both internal resources (cognitive and emotional) and external resources (social and community).

The nine specific factors measured by the HFPI include: Social Support, Problem Solving, Depression, Personal Care, Mobilizing Resources, Role Satisfaction, Parent/Child Interaction, Home Environment, and Parenting Efficacy. This structure recognizes that successful parenting is dependent on the parent’s ability to manage personal stress and utilize community support, in addition to employing positive interaction strategies with the child.

Validity

Initial validation studies, such as the 2012 work by LeCroy and Krysik, focused on establishing the factor structure and internal consistency of the HFPI, suggesting strong construct validity. The development process was grounded in established theoretical frameworks relevant to early childhood interventions and family support models. The nine-factor structure consistently aligns with the targeted outcomes of programs like Healthy Families, indicating that the scale is measuring the intended dimensions of change.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the HFPI is generally strong across its nine subscales, as measured by Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients. The reported alpha values suggest that the items within each subscale reliably measure their respective constructs.

• Problem Solving: .92
• Parenting Efficacy: .87
• Mobilizing Resources: .86
• Social Support: .84
• Depression: .79
• Parent/Child Interaction: .77
• Personal Care: .76
• Role Satisfaction: .76
• Home Environment: .76

These reliability coefficients demonstrate acceptable to excellent internal consistency, with the majority of subscales achieving an alpha above the standard clinical threshold of .70. The particularly high alpha for the Problem Solving subscale (.92) indicates very strong coherence among those items.

Factor Analysis

The HFPI is structured around nine empirically derived factors identified through factor analysis during its development. These factors represent the distinct psychological and behavioral constructs that contribute to positive parenting outcomes. The item distribution across these factors is clearly defined:

• Social Support (Items 1-5): Measures the perception of being supported and cared for by family and friends.
• Problem Solving (Items 6-11): Assesses the parent’s perceived ability to cope with challenges, learn from setbacks, and generate solutions.
• Depression (Items 12-20): Gauges feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and general unhappiness (includes several reverse-scored items).
• Personal Care (Items 21-25): Focuses on the parent’s engagement in self-care behaviors, including sleep, appearance, and personal time.
• Mobilizing Resources (Items 26-31): Measures the parent’s knowledge of and comfort in accessing community and medical resources.
• Role Satisfaction (Items 32-37): Assesses feelings related to the burden and fulfillment of the parental role (includes several reverse-scored items reflecting feeling trapped or drained).
• Parent/Child Interaction (Items 38-47): Measures specific behaviors related to responsiveness, patience, positive encouragement, and managing the child’s behavior.
• Home Environment (Items 48-57): Evaluates the physical and structural organization of the home for raising a child, including safety, routines, and stimulating activities.
• Parenting Efficacy (Items 58-63): Measures the parent’s confidence, goals, and perceived effectiveness in their parenting role.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Construct Inventory

Format: 63 items utilizing a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English (other translations may exist but are not specified in source documentation).

Population Group: Parents participating in or targeted by family support programs, often associated with Home Visitation services.

Age Group: Adults (Parents/Caregivers).

Population Details: Typically parents of infants or young children; often used with high-risk or vulnerable populations.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the frequency or applicability of each statement based on the following scale: 1 = Rarely or Never, 2= A little of the time, 3= Some of the time, 4= Good part of the time, 5= Always or most of the time. Specific items are reverse-scored (12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, and 42) to mitigate response bias.

Keywords

Outcome Measurement, Family Functioning, Parental Well-being, Child Development, Intervention Evaluation, Clinical Assessment, Reliability, Parent-Child Bonding.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HFPI) was initially developed around 2004, with its formal validation published in 2012. Information regarding specific licensing fees is not contained within the initial source material, but the scale has been widely disseminated for use in non-profit and research contexts. The instrument can be accessed via the following resource link: http://www.lecroymilligan.com/pages/resources-hfpi.php. The original instrument documentation, possibly including usage permissions, may be available via a DOC file download: http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file93378.doc.

Reference’s

The following sources document the development and use of the HFPI:

• LeCroy, W. L., Krysik, J., (2012). Development and initial validation of an outcome measure for home visitation: The healthy families parenting inventory, Infant Mental Health Journal, 33(55), 496-505.
• LeCroy, Krysik & Milligan, (2004). Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HFPI). In Fischer, Joel., Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page(s): 344-347.

Items of the Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HFPI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I feel supported by others
2. I feel that others care about me
3. I discuss my feelings with someone
4. If I have trouble, I feel there is always someone I can turn to for help.
5. I have family or friends who I can turn to for help
6. I learn new ways of doing things from solving problems
7. I deal with setbacks without getting discouraged
8. When I have a problem, I take steps to solve it
9. When I am faced with a problem, I can think of several solutions.
10. I am good at dealing with unexpected problems.
11. I remain calm when new problems come up.
12. I feel sad
13. I feel positive about myself
14. The future looks positive for me
15. I feel unhappy about everything
16. I feel hopeless about the future
17. There isn’t much happiness in my life
18. I have so many problems I feel overwhelmed by them.
19. It is hard for me to get in a good mood.
20. My life is fulfilling and meaningful.
21. I find ways to care for myself.
22. I take care of my appearance
23. I get enough sleep
24. I am a better parent because I take care of myself
25. I take time for myself
26. I know where to find resources for my family
27. I know where to find important medical information
28. I can get help from the community if I need it
29. I am comfortable in finding the help I need
30. I know community agencies I can go to for help
31. It is hard for me to ask for help from others
32. Because I’m a parent, I’ve had to give up much of my life
33. I feel trapped by all the things I have to do for my child.
34. I feel drained dealing with my child
35. There are times my child gets on my nerves
36. I feel controlled by all the things I have to do as a parent
37. I feel frustrated because my whole life seems to revolve around my child
38. I have a hard time managing my child
39. I can be patient with my child
40. I respond quickly to my child’s needs
41. I do activities that help my child grow and develop
42. When my child is upset, I’m not sure what to do
43. I use positive words to encourage my child
44. I can tell what my child wants
45. I am able to increase my child’s good behavior
46. I can remain calm when my child is upset
47. I praise my child everyday
48. My child has favorite things to comfort him/her
49. I read to my child
50. I plan and do a variety of activities with my child every day.
51. I have made my home exciting and fun for my child
52. I have organized my home for raising a child
53. I check my home for safety
54. My child has a schedule for eating and sleeping in my home.
55. I set limits for my child consistently
56. I make plans for our family to do things together
57. I set rules for behavior in my home.
58. I feel I’m doing an excellent job as a parent
59. I am proud of myself as a parent
60. I am more effective than most parents
61. I have set goals about how I want to raise my child
62. I am a good example to other parents
63. I am learning [I learn] new parenting skills and use them with my child.