Parental Locus of Control Scale

Abstract

The Parental Locus of Control Scale (PLOCS) is a widely utilized psychometric instrument developed to assess the extent to which parents attribute the causes of their children’s behavior, and their own success or failure in parenting, to internal factors (such as their own efforts and skills) versus external factors (such as fate, chance, or the child’s inherent nature). Developed by Campis, Lyman, and Prentis-Dunn in 1986, the PLOCS is grounded in social learning theory and provides a comprehensive, multi-dimensional measure of parental control beliefs, differentiating between efficacy, responsibility, and fatalism in the parenting role.

Keywords

Parental Locus of Control, Locus of Control, Parental Efficacy, Parenting Skills, Child Behavior, Psychological Assessment, Social Learning Theory, Responsibility, Fatalism.

Authors

Linda Campis, Robert D. Lyman, Sherry Prentis-Dunn.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Parental Locus of Control Scale is to quantify an individual parent’s belief system regarding control over child-related outcomes. This assessment is critical in clinical and research settings as a parent’s locus of control is strongly correlated with their choice of parenting strategies, their persistence in behavioral interventions, and their overall stress levels. The scale aims to identify whether a parent operates from an internal perspective (believing their actions dictate results) or an external perspective (believing external forces or the child’s nature dictate results).

By breaking down the locus of control into specific factors, the instrument allows researchers and clinicians to target specific areas where a parent may feel helpless or overly responsible, thus informing the development of targeted parenting interventions aimed at improving parental efficacy and reducing maladaptive externalizing beliefs.

Construct

The PLOCS measures the psychological construct of Locus of Control as applied specifically to the parental domain. Locus of Control, a concept popularized by Julian Rotter, refers to how individuals perceive the source of control over events in their lives. The parental adaptation of this construct posits that these beliefs determine a parent’s motivation to engage in effective parenting behaviors.

The scale is designed to capture the complexity of these beliefs through five distinct factors, moving beyond a simple internal/external dichotomy. These factors address beliefs about the parent’s ability to influence the child (efficacy), the degree of perceived responsibility for outcomes, the perceived control the child holds over the parent’s life, and the role of uncontrollable external factors like fate or chance.

Validity

The original validation study by Campis, Lyman, and Prentis-Dunn (1986) established the scale’s construct validity through rigorous factor analysis, confirming the hypothesized multi-dimensional structure. The scale demonstrated satisfactory discriminant and convergent validity, showing expected correlations with other established measures of parental stress, parenting styles, and general locus of control measures, while remaining distinct from them.

Specifically, scores on the Parental Efficacy factor were found to correlate positively with positive parenting behaviors, suggesting that parents who feel efficacious are more likely to employ effective strategies. Conversely, high scores on factors related to Belief in Fate/Chance showed associations with feelings of helplessness and parental distress.

Reliability

The PLOCS has demonstrated strong internal consistency across its factors in the initial development and subsequent research. The original authors reported acceptable to high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the overall scale and its five subscales, indicating that the items within each factor measure a unified underlying construct.

Test-retest reliability, although not always explicitly detailed in subsequent studies, has typically been reported as adequate, confirming the stability of parental locus of control beliefs over time, particularly in the absence of significant intervention or life changes. This stability makes the PLOCS a reliable tool for measuring enduring control orientations in the parenting context.

Factor Analysis

The original development of the Parental Locus of Control Scale utilized psychometric methods, including exploratory factor analysis, which yielded a clear five-factor structure. This robust structure supports the notion that parental control beliefs are not monolithic but comprise several distinguishable dimensions. The five empirically derived factors are:

• Factor 1: Parental Efficacy: Measures the parent’s belief in their ability to successfully manage and influence their child’s behavior.
• Factor 2: Parental Responsibility: Measures the degree to which a parent takes personal blame or credit for their child’s outcomes.
• Factor 3: Child Control of Parents’ Life: Measures the parent’s perception of the child dictating the direction and limitations of the parent’s life.
• Factor 4: Parental Belief in Fate/Chance: Measures the extent to which the parent attributes outcomes to external, unpredictable forces, luck, or destiny.
• Factor 5: Parental Control of Child’s Behavior: Measures the parent’s perception of their actual, moment-to-moment control over the child’s actions.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire/Psychometric scale

Format: 47 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from Strongly disagree (1) to Strongly agree (5).

Language Available: Primarily English (translations may exist in subsequent research).

Population Group: Parents/Caregivers.

Age Group: Adult parents of children, typically those whose children are old enough to display recognizable behaviors or problems (often used with parents of school-aged or clinical populations). Specific age range is flexible depending on research context.

Population Details: Originally validated on a clinical sample of parents seeking treatment for their children’s behavioral problems, as well as non-clinical samples.

Test Methodology: Paper-and-pencil or digital administration. Scoring involves calculating subscale scores for each of the five factors, often with some items reverse-scored.

Keywords

Parenting Assessment, Control Beliefs, Child Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Parental Stress, Behavior Problems, Rotter’s Locus of Control, Self-efficacy.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not publicly available or provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not publicly available or provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not publicly available or provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and validated in 1986. Permissions for use are generally subject to standard academic guidelines, requiring citation of the original source (Campis, Lyman, & Prentis-Dunn, 1986). Researchers should consult the primary journal publication or contact the authors for comprehensive usage rights. The scale itself is often available for non-commercial research use.

Reference’s

• Campis, L., Lyman, R. & Prentis-Dunn, S. (1986). The Parental Locus of Control: Development and Validation. Journal of Child and Clinical Psychology, 15, 260-268.
• The original instrument details can be accessed via the journal article: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15374424jccp1503_10#.UuqHdD2SwT0
• Additional documentation on Locus of Control Measures, including the PLOCS, can be found in PDF format here: http://teachinternalcontrol.com/uploads/LOC_Measures__1_.pdf and http://www.bwgriffin.com/gsu/courses/edur9131/content/LocusOfControlMeasures_Halpert2011.pdf#page=11.

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Items of the Parental Locus of Control Scale

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

1. What I do has little effect on my child’s behavior
2. When something goes wrong between me and my child‚ there is little I can do to correct it
3. Parents should address problems with their children because ignoring them won’t make them go away
4. If your child tantrums no matter what you try‚ you might as well give up
5. My child usually ends up getting his/her way‚ so why try
6. No matter how hard a parent tries‚ some children will never learn to mind
7. I am often able to predict my child’s behavior in situations
8. It is not always wise to expect too much from my child because many things turn out to be a matter of good and bad luck anyway
9. When my child gets angry‚ I can usually deal with him/her if I stay calm
10. When I set expectations for my child‚ I am almost certain that I can help him/her meet them

11. There is no such thing as good or bad children- just bad parents
12. When my child is well behaved‚ it is because he/she is responding to my efforts
13. Parents who can’t get their children to listen to them don’t understand how to get along with their children
14. My child’s behavior problems are no one’s fault but my own
15. Capable people who fail to become good parents have not followed through on their opportunities
16. Children’s behavior problems are often due to the mistakes their parent made
17. Parents whose children make them feel helpless just aren’t using the best parenting techniques
18. Most children’s behavior problems would not have developed if their parents had better parenting skills
19. I am responsible for my child’s behavior
20. The misfortunes and successes I have had as a parent are the direct result of my own behavior

21. My life is chiefly controlled by my child
22. My child does not control my life
23. My child influences the number of friends I have
24. I feel like what happens in my life is mostly determined by my child
25. It is easy for me to avoid and function independently of my child’s attempt to have control over me
26. When I make a mistake with my child I am usually able to correct it
27. Even if your child frequently tantrums‚ a parent should not give up

28. Being a good parent often depends on being lucky enough to have a good child
29. I’m just one of those lucky parents who happened to have a good child
30. I have often found that when it comes to my children‚ what is going to happen will happen
31. Fate was kind to me- if I had had a bad child I don’t know what I would have done
32. Success in dealing with children seems to be more a matter of the child’s mood and feelings at the time rather than one’s own actions
33. Neither my child nor myself is responsible for his/her behavior
34. In order to have my plans work‚ I make sure they fit in with the desires of my child
35. Most parents don’t realize the extent to which how their children turn out is influenced by accidental happenings
36. Heredity plays a major role in determining a child’s personality
37. Without the right breaks one cannot be an effective parent

38. I always feel in control when it comes to my child
39. My child’s behavior is sometimes more than I can handle
40. Sometimes I feel that my child’s behavior is hopeless
41. It is often easier to let my child have his/her way than to put up with a tantrum
42. I find that sometimes my child can get me to do things I really did not want to do
43. My child often behaves in a manner very different from how I want him/her to behave
44. Sometimes when I tired I let my children do things I normally wouldn’t
45. Sometimes I feel that I do not have enough control over the direction my child’s life is taking
46. I allow my child to get away with things
47. It is not too difficult to change my child’s mind about something