Parental Locus of Control Scale

Abstract

The Parental Locus of Control Scale (PLOC) is a multi-dimensional psychometrics instrument developed by Campis, Lyman, and Prentis-Dunn in 1986. It is designed to assess the degree to which parents attribute the causes of their children’s behavior and their own effectiveness as caregivers to internal factors (their own skills and actions) versus external factors (chance, fate, or the child’s independent nature). The scale operationalizes the concept of Locus of Control specifically within the context of parenting, yielding scores across five distinct factors that define a parent’s perceived control over family outcomes.

The 47-item instrument uses a 5-point Likert format to measure dimensions such as Parental Efficacy, Parental Responsibility, and the extent of Child Control of Parents’ Life. It provides valuable insight into the cognitive framework parents use to understand and manage their role, making it useful in both clinical and research settings focused on family dynamics and behavior modification.

Keywords

Parental Locus of Control, PLOC, Parental Efficacy, Child Behavior, Parenting Style, Responsibility, Fate, Chance, Psychometrics.

Authors

L. Campis, R. Lyman, S. Prentis-Dunn.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PLOC Scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a robust tool for measuring parental beliefs about control over their child’s behavior and life outcomes. Understanding a parent’s Locus of Control is critical, as these beliefs often mediate the choice of parenting strategies, reactions to child misconduct, and overall engagement in intervention programs.

The instrument helps differentiate between parents who feel empowered and capable (internal control) and those who feel helpless or overwhelmed by external forces (external control). This distinction is highly relevant in clinical psychology, particularly when designing behavioral interventions for families experiencing high levels of child behavior problems, as a parent’s belief in their own agency is a prerequisite for successful behavioral change.

Construct

The PLOC Scale measures Parental Locus of Control, which is the extent to which parents believe that reinforcements (positive or negative outcomes) in the parent-child relationship are contingent upon their own actions (internal control) or upon forces beyond their control (external control). The scale uniquely breaks down this broad construct into five specific, empirically derived dimensions, moving beyond simple internal/external dichotomies originally proposed by Rotter.

These five factors capture nuanced parental cognitions regarding their role, the child’s influence, and the impact of environmental factors like luck or fate. High scores on factors such as Parental Responsibility or Parental Efficacy are indicative of a more internal orientation, suggesting the parent believes they possess the necessary skills and agency to influence outcomes. Conversely, high scores on factors like Parental Belief in Fate/Chance reflect a more external orientation, suggesting resignation to uncontrollable forces.

Validity

The original validation study by Campis et al. (1986) established both face and construct validity for the PLOC Scale. Construct validity was supported by the successful derivation of the five hypothesized factors using Factor analysis, demonstrating that the items reliably group according to the proposed theoretical dimensions of control beliefs.

Further validity evidence often includes correlations with established measures of general Locus of Control, self-esteem, and measures of child behavioral adjustment. Parents scoring highly on internal factors (Efficacy, Responsibility) typically report lower levels of child behavior problems and higher satisfaction with their parenting role, suggesting strong predictive and convergent validity. The scale effectively distinguishes clinical and non-clinical samples based on the distribution of control beliefs.

Reliability

Reliability of the PLOC Scale is typically assessed using internal consistency measures, such as Cronbach’s alpha, for the total scale and for each of the five subscales. The original research reported acceptable to good internal consistency across the derived factors, indicating that the items within each subscale reliably measure the same underlying dimension. This consistency is crucial for ensuring that the subscales are cohesive measures of distinct psychological attributes.

Test-retest reliability, which examines the stability of the scores over time, is generally considered adequate for the PLOC, suggesting that parental control beliefs, while subject to change through targeted intervention, are stable psychological traits under normal circumstances. This stability supports its use as a measure of enduring parental cognitive style rather than transient mood states.

Factor Analysis

The PLOC scale is structured around 47 items loading onto five primary factors, identified through principal components Factor analysis, which account for the majority of the variance in parental control beliefs:

• Factor 1: Parental Efficacy: This factor reflects the parent’s belief in their ability to successfully influence and predict their child’s behavior, often relating to their sense of competence and skill in managing difficult situations. High scores indicate a strong belief in personal competence.
• Factor 2: Parental Responsibility: This dimension measures the extent to which the parent takes personal blame or credit for their child’s behavior, attitudes, and outcomes, focusing on the parent’s perceived role as the primary determinant of the child’s development.
• Factor 3: Child Control of Parents’ Life: This factor assesses the degree to which parents feel their personal life, choices, and interactions are dictated or severely constrained by the child’s demands or needs, reflecting feelings of being controlled by the child.
• Factor 4: Parental Belief in Fate/Chance: This dimension captures the external attribution of outcomes to luck, fate, or uncontrollable external forces, rather than the actions of either the parent or the child. This represents a highly external orientation.
• Factor 5: Parental Control of Child’s Behavior: This factor focuses on specific behavioral management difficulties, measuring the perceived inability to manage or curb undesirable child behaviors, often manifesting as feelings of being overwhelmed or giving in to tantrums.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological assessment questionnaire.

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

Language Available: English (Original).

Population Group: Parents or primary caregivers.

Age Group: Adults (Parents) of children ranging from early childhood through adolescence.

Population Details: Used across diverse parent populations, frequently employed in studies involving parents of children with developmental disorders or significant behavior problems to assess baseline control beliefs.

Test Methodology: The scale is typically administered in paper-and-pencil format or electronically, requiring participants to rate their level of agreement with statements concerning their control beliefs and interaction patterns with their child. Scoring involves summing items within each of the five factors.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, Parental beliefs, Locus of Control, Child psychology, Parental Efficacy, Clinical measure.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Parental Locus of Control Scale was developed and published in 1986. While the scale items are often referenced and utilized in academic research, formal reproduction or large-scale clinical use may require permission from the copyright holder, Taylor & Francis, as the original publication appeared in the Journal of Child and Clinical Psychology.

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 article abstract can be accessed here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15374424jccp1503_10#.UuqHdD2SwT0

The original PDF containing the LOC measures is available here: http://teachinternalcontrol.com/uploads/LOC_Measures__1_.pdf

Additional measures, including the PLOC, can be found here: http://www.bwgriffin.com/gsu/courses/edur9131/content/LocusOfControlMeasures_Halpert2011.pdf#page=11

Items of the Parental Locus of Control Scale

Factor 1: Parental Efficacy

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

Factor 2: Parental Responsibility

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

Factor 3: Child Control of Parents’ Life

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

Factor 4: Parental Belief in Fate/Chance

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

Factor 5: Parental Control of Child’s Behavior

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