Parenting Daily Hassles Scale – Early Childhood Services (PDH-ECS)

Abstract

The Parenting Daily Hassles Scale – Early childhood services (PDH-ECS) is a specialized psychological instrument designed to measure the frequency and intensity of daily stressors experienced by parents whose children are enrolled in early childhood education or care facilities, such as daycare and Kindergarten. Developed by Tomoko N. Arimura, this scale focuses specifically on logistical, informational, and behavioral challenges that arise from the intersection of family life and institutional care requirements. It provides a detailed assessment of the impact of integrated early childhood services on parental well-being and the complexity of managing daily family routines, contributing valuable data to the study of parenting stress and work-family balance.

Keywords

Parenting Daily Hassles, PDH-ECS, parental stress, early childhood services, daycare, school-based programs, work-family conflict, logistical hassles, behavioral difficulties.

Authors

Tomoko N. Arimura, Carl Corter

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PDH-ECS is to systematically quantify the specific daily difficulties or “hassles” encountered by parents who rely on external early childhood education systems. Unlike general stress measures, the PDH-ECS targets stressors uniquely associated with the coordination, communication, and logistical demands of utilizing integrated school and daycare programs.

The scale was developed to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of school-based integrated early childhood programs on the daily lives of parents, particularly focusing on how these services may either alleviate or exacerbate parental burdens related to drop-offs, pickups, scheduling, communication with staff, and supporting the child’s learning and behavioral development within the institutional context.

Construct

The PDH-ECS measures the construct of Parenting Daily Hassles within the context of early childhood service utilization. This construct encompasses three main areas of difficulty:

• Logistical Hassles: Difficulties related to the physical management of the child’s schedule, including morning readiness, transportation, drop-offs, pickups, and coordinating after-school care.
• Informational/Relational Hassles: Stressors arising from communication difficulties, such as understanding school expectations, approaching teachers, dealing with language barriers (e.g., English not being the first language), and finding relevant support or parenting programs.
• Child-Specific Challenges: Difficulties related to managing the child’s academic or behavioral issues as they manifest in the school environment (e.g., learning difficulties, behavioral problems at school, lack of time/energy to support learning at home).

Validity

Specific detailed evidence regarding the validity of the PDH-ECS is primarily established within the foundational Master’s thesis by Arimura (2008). Typically, the validation process for such scales involves demonstrating both content and construct validity.

Content validity was ensured through the comprehensive development of items based on observed parental difficulties when navigating integrated early childhood services. Construct validity, often assessed through correlation with existing measures, is expected to show positive relationships with general measures of parental strain and negative relationships with measures of social support or family functioning. The scale’s ability to differentiate between parents utilizing different models of early childhood education services supports its validity in measuring context-specific stress.

Reliability

The reliability of the PDH-ECS is usually measured using tests of internal consistency. While specific Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients are not provided in the summary references, the scale is designed to possess high internal reliability, meaning the 22 items consistently measure the same underlying construct of daily parenting strain related to institutional care. Test-retest reliability would also be utilized to ensure the scale yields consistent results over short periods, assuming the parenting environment remains stable.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis is crucial for confirming the underlying structure of the scale. Based on the item content, exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA) would likely reveal several distinct factors corresponding to the types of hassles identified in the construct description, such as Logistical Hassles (Items 1-7), Behavioral/Learning Support Hassles (Items 8-10), and System/Communication Hassles (Items 11-22). Identifying these subscales allows researchers to pinpoint specific areas where parents face the greatest challenges, facilitating targeted intervention strategies.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire/Psychological Scale

Format: 22 items, rated on a dual scale measuring both frequency and intensity. Frequency is rated from “Never” to “Constantly,” and intensity is rated from “No Hassle” (1) to “Big Hassle” (5).

Language Available: English (Original development context was Canada/Ontario).

Population Group: Parents or primary caregivers.

Age Group: Parents of children enrolled in early childhood services (typically Kindergarten or pre-school age).

Population Details: Parents navigating the interface between home life and formal early childhood institutions, particularly those utilizing integrated school-based programs.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate how often they experienced each hassle in the last month (frequency) and how bothersome that hassle was (intensity). Scoring typically involves calculating a composite score based on the product of frequency and intensity, or separate scores for frequency and intensity subscales.

Keywords

Parental burden, psychometrics, scale development, family logistics, school communication, parent involvement, integrated services, psychological construct.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Specified

Affiliation Email addresses: Not Specified (Affiliation: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto)

Correspondence Address: Not Specified

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The PDH-ECS was developed as part of a Master’s thesis by Tomoko N. Arimura in 2008. Given its origin in academic research, the instrument is often available for non-commercial research use, though permission from the authors or the institutional affiliate (University of Toronto/OISE) may be required. No specific commercial fee information is readily available for standard research use.

The original PDF of the instrument, contained within the Master’s thesis, can be downloaded here: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/What_We_Do/Arimura_thesis_final.pdf

Reference’s

• Arimura‚ Tomoko. N. (2008). Daily routines‚ parenting hassles‚ and social support: The role that early childhood services play in parents’ and children’s daily life. Unpublished ma‎ster’s thesis‚ Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto‚ Toronto‚ Ontario‚ Canada.
• Arimura‚ T. N.‚ & Corter‚ Carl. (2009). School-based integrated early childhood programs: Impact on the daily lives of parents? Poster session presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development‚ Denver‚ CO.
• Arimura‚ T. N.‚ & Corter‚ C. (2010). School-based integrated early childhood programs: Impact on the well-being of children and parents. Interaction‚ 24(1); 23-28.
• Johnson‚ L. C.‚ & Mathien‚ J. (1998). Early childhood services for kindergarten-age children in four Canadian provinces: Scope‚ nature and models for the future. Ottawa‚ ON: Caledon Institute of Social Policy.
• Pelletier‚ J.‚ & Corter‚ C. (2006). Integration‚ innovation‚ and evaluation in school-based early childhood services. In B. Spodek‚ & O. N. Saracho (Eds.)‚ Handbook of research on the education of young children (2nd ed.‚ pp. 477-496). Mahwah‚ NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Items of the Parenting Daily Hassles Scale – Early childhood services (PDH-ECS)

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

1. I have a hard time getting my child ready for school or daycare in the morning.

Examples: It takes a lot of effort to get my child up from bed and dressed‚ to get my child to eat enough breakfast‚ or to make sure that my child’s backpack contains all the things he/she needs for the day‚ etc.

2. I have a hard time getting my child to school or daycare in the morning.

Examples: Taking the bus or subway is time consuming and tedious‚ I have to dr‎op off my children at multiple locations which takes a lot of time and energy‚ or I need to leave for work early so I have to arrange for someone else to take my child/ren to school‚ etc.

3. I have a hard time leaving my child at school or daycare in the morning.

Examples: My child gets upset and cries when I have to leave him/her‚ or I worry about how my child will get along at Kindergarten or daycare‚ etc.

4. I have a hard time leaving my child in care (at school or daycare facility) beyond the regular Kindergarten hours.

Examples: My child has a hard time transitioning from Kindergarten to daycare so he/she gets upset and cries when I have to leave him/her there‚ or I worry about how my child will get along at daycare‚ etc.

5. I have a hard time coordinating after school care for my child.

Example: I have to interrupt whatever I am doing in the middle of the day to get my child from Kindergarten to daycare‚ or vice-versa.

6. I have a hard time picking up my child at the end of the day.

Examples: I have to rush from work to pick up my child/ren at daycare‚ or sometimes I am late picking up my child/ren because of bad traffic or because I had a lot to do at work‚ etc.

7. I have a hard time keeping track of my child’s schedule.

Example: It’s hard to organize and remember where my child is going to be after school.

8. I have a hard time finding the time and energy to help my child improve his/her learning skills.

Examples: I am so tired by the time I get home that it’s really hard to sit down with my child to read on a regular basis‚ or there isn’t enough time in the day to help my child with his/her numbers‚ etc.

9. I have a hard time dealing with my child’s behavioural difficulties at school.

Example: My child doesn’t get along with other children in the class or has trouble making friends‚ and I don’t know what to do to help my child‚ etc.

10. I have a hard time dealing with my child’s learning difficulties.

Example: My child seems to have trouble learning letters‚ and I don’t know what I can do to help him/her‚ etc.

11. I have a hard time finding a good after school daycare program that is compatible with my schedule.

Example: Most of the daycare centres in my neighbourhood close too early‚ etc.

12. I have a hard time finding parenting programs that meet my needs.

Examples: I want to know how I can be more effective as a parent‚ but I don’t know where to go to find good programs‚ or I can’t find good programs easily‚ etc.

13. I have a hard time finding information on how to help my child learn.

Examples: I want to know how I can help my child learn‚ but I don’t know where to look for information or I can’t find good information easily‚ etc.

14. I have a hard time finding information on how to deal with my child’s behaviour.

Examples: I want to know how I can help my child get along better with other children or help my child become a better listener‚ but I don’t know where to look for good information‚ or I can’t find good information easily‚ etc.

15. I have a hard time finding the opportunity to talk with other parents at my child’s school.

Example: I want to talk to other parents to see how they are dealing with certain issues‚ but I don’t have the time to wait around because I am rushing off to another place‚ etc.

16. I have a hard time approaching the teacher or people at the school to talk about what’s going on with my child.

Example: I have some concerns that I want to discuss with my child’s teacher‚ but I don’t know when it’s the best time to talk to him/her‚ etc.

17. I have a hard time communicating with my child’s school because English isn’t my first language.

Example: I am not fluent in English so it’s hard to approach my child’s teacher to talk or it’s hard to understand letters that are sent home‚ etc.

18. I have a hard time understanding how things work at my child’s school.

Examples: I don’t know what I am supposed to do when my child is sick‚ I don’t know if it’s okay for my child to bring certain items/foods to school‚ etc.

19. I have a hard time dealing with multiple people at my child’s school.

Example: It is hard to keep things straight when multiple people care for my child during the day‚ etc.

20. I have a hard time staying connected with my child’s teacher about day-to-day things.

Example: It’s hard to know what happens with my child at school because I usually don’t talk my child’s teacher on a regular basis‚ etc.

21. I have a hard time finding the time to volunteer in my child’s school.

Example: I would like to be able to help out with school activities like fundraising events‚ but I just don’t have the time or energy‚ etc.

22. I have a hard time understanding what the school expects from me as a parent.

Example: I don’t know what the school expects from me in terms of helping my child learn at home‚ etc.

Response Format (Frequency):

• Never = 0 times in last month
• Rarely = 1-3 times in last month
• Sometimes = 1-2 times per week
• A lot = 3-4 times per week
• Constantly = 5 times per week (every school day)

Response Format (Intensity):

No Hassle 1‚ 2‚ 3‚ 4‚ 5 Big Hassle