Perceived Self-Efficacy Interview for First-Time Fathers (PS-EI FTF)

Abstract

The Perceived Self-Efficacy Interview for First-Time Fathers (PS-EI FTF) is a specialized, semi-structured qualitative instrument designed to explore the self-efficacy beliefs of new fathers regarding their ability to care for their infants. Developed by Thomas, Feeley, and Grier (2009), the scale focuses on understanding the experiential factors, challenges, and support mechanisms that influence a father’s perceived competence immediately following the birth. While initially utilized in studies involving very-low-birth-weight infants, its core structure is applicable to any first-time father population. The interview format emphasizes a strengths-based assessment approach, aiming to identify resources and areas where paternal confidence can be bolstered.

Keywords

Self-Efficacy, Paternal Role, Fatherhood, Parenting Confidence, Qualitative Interview, Neonatal Care, First-Time Fathers

Authors

J. Thomas, N. Feeley, P. Grier

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PS-EI FTF is to provide a deep, contextual understanding of the father’s subjective experience of transitioning into the parental role. Unlike standardized quantitative measures, this instrument uses open-ended questions to elicit detailed narratives about the father’s strengths, vulnerabilities, and coping strategies concerning infant care. It aims to identify specific areas where a new father’s sense of self-efficacy may be enhanced or diminished, particularly in high-stress environments like neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

The interview structure is designed to be utilized by clinicians or researchers for strengths-based assessment, allowing professionals to tailor interventions that bolster paternal self-efficacy. By focusing on perceived ability rather than objective skill, the interview captures the psychological readiness and confidence required for effective parenting, offering insights often missed by fixed-response scales.

Construct

The PS-EI FTF measures perceived self-efficacy, a central construct in Social Cognitive Theory developed by Albert Bandura. Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments. In the context of the PS-EI FTF, this construct is operationalized as the father’s confidence in performing various tasks associated with caring for a newborn, including feeding, soothing, interpreting cues, and managing stress associated with infant health.

The interview format allows the exploration of the four main sources of self-efficacy information: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological and affective states. By asking about successful moments and perceived challenges, the instrument qualitatively maps the strength and robustness of the father’s parental self-efficacy beliefs in the immediate post-partum period.

Validity

As a qualitative, semi-structured interview, the instrument primarily relies on strong face validity and content validity. The questions are directly related to the critical tasks and emotional experiences of being a first-time father immediately post-birth, ensuring relevance to the target construct and population. The focus on specific experiences related to caregiving ensures that the content comprehensively covers the domain of paternal self-efficacy.

In the original study (Thomas, Feeley, & Grier, 2009), rigorous qualitative methods were employed, such as thematic analysis and expert review, to establish the credibility and trustworthiness of the data collected. The use of specific probes helps ensure that the depth of the construct is fully explored, enhancing the content coverage of the instrument and lending support to its interpretive validity.

Reliability

In qualitative research, the concept of reliability is often addressed through measures of trustworthiness, including dependability and confirmability. While traditional psychometric reliability coefficients (like Cronbach’s Alpha) are not applicable to this interview format, the reliability of the PS-EI FTF is supported by the standardized question set and the use of consistent probing techniques.

To ensure dependability, researchers utilizing the PS-EI FTF must adhere strictly to the defined protocol for administration and maintain clear audit trails for data interpretation. Training interviewers to maintain consistency in delivery and coding responses using established qualitative analysis protocols (e.g., inter-rater reliability checks on thematic coding) are essential steps for ensuring the trustworthiness of the narrative data yielded by the PS-EI FTF.

Factor Analysis

Formal factor analysis is not relevant or applicable to the PS-EI FTF. This instrument is a brief, semi-structured interview designed for the collection of rich, qualitative narrative data, not a multi-item psychometric scale requiring dimensionality reduction. The purpose of the interview is to gather rich narrative data across four key areas of experience and perceived ability, which are intended to be analyzed thematically rather than statistically grouped into latent factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Semi-structured Qualitative Interview

Format: Interviewer-administered; Open-ended questions with standardized probes.

Language Available: English (Original research language)

Population Group: Fathers

Age Group: Adult (Generally 18+)

Population Details: Specifically designed for first-time fathers, particularly those whose infants require specialized care, such as very-low-birth-weight infants, or those adjusting to the immediate post-partum period.

Test Methodology: The methodology involves conducting an in-depth, one-on-one interview using the four core questions and subsequent probes to encourage detailed responses. The data collected is typically transcribed and analyzed using qualitative techniques, such as grounded theory or thematic analysis, to identify key themes related to paternal self-efficacy.

Keywords

Paternal confidence, Strengths-based assessment, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Post-partum adjustment, Qualitative assessment

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not available in source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence details available through the primary publication source (Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 2009 (First published in research context).

Permissions and Fee: While the core interview questions are published in an academic text (Simmons & Lehmann, 2013), users should consult the original authors or Springer Publishing for formal usage permissions, especially for commercial or large-scale research applications. The instrument is generally considered accessible for non-commercial academic use via the published reference texts.

Reference’s

• Thomas, J., Feeley, N., & Grier, P. (2009). The perceived parenting self-efficacy of first-time fathers caring for very-low-birth-weight infants. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 32(4), 180–199.
• Thomas, J., Freely, N., & Grier, P. (2009). Perceived Self-Efficacy Interview for First-Time Fathers. In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 439-440. (2013). The source notes a link to Google Scholar for additional information.

Items of the Perceived Self-Efficacy Interview for First-Time Fathers (PS-EI FTF)

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

1. How was your experience just after the birth of your baby?
2. What things may have helped you feel more able to care for your baby?
3. What aspects of this experience do you think might have impacted your sense of feeling able to care for your baby?
4. Have you had moments where you feel less able to care for your baby?

Probes such as Could you give me an example? and Could you tell me more about that? may be used.