Assessing Parental Readiness to Change: A Psychometric Evaluation of the READI-SF in a Community Sample

Engagement in behavioral parent training programs continues to be a barrier to service delivery. Parental readiness is an important construct for understanding parental engagement in parent training services, as these programs place a high level of action-oriented demands on caregivers. The present study examines the performance of one parental readiness measure, the Readiness, Efficacy, Attributions, Defensiveness, and Importance Scale—Short Form (READI-SF) in a community-based sample. Participants included 103 families of children ages three to seven recruited from an urban charter school. Mothers completed an abbreviated version of the READI as well as indices of child disruptive behavior and a second measure of parental readiness. The psychometric properties and factor structure of the READI-SF are explored as well as indices of reliability and validity. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor model of readiness to change, treatment readiness, and perceived importance of the problem. Analyses also supported the validity and clinical utility of the measure, as READI-SF scores were found to predict attendance at a one-time parenting group. Lastly, the study examines the relationship between parental readiness and child disruptive behavior. Limitations and future directions are discussed.