title: Examining social-cognitive predictors of parenting skills among mothers with preschool and early elementary school-aged children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Identification of parenting skills determinants among mothers is an ongoing field of research.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to identify the social cognitive predictors of parenting skills among mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Previous studies have demonstrated the health action process approach (HAPA) as a credible frame for predicting behavior, but the number of studies considering the predictive value of parenting skills determinants among mothers is rare.
  
  
  METHODS
  An 8 months prospective design was applied. Participants were mothers with preschool and early elementary school-aged children. At the 1(st) time, 120 participants completed self-report questionnaires regarding their risk perception, outcome expectancies, task self-efficacy, and intentions toward parenting skills. At the 2(nd) time, they returned a follow-up questionnaire, which measured planning, coping self-efficacy, and recovery self-efficacy and finally, 8 months later as the 3(rd) time, parenting skills were measured. Path analysis was used for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Path analysis indicated that, in the motivational phase, there was no relationship between parenting skills intention and risk perception, outcome expectancies, and task self-efficacy. Furthermore, no relationship was found between parenting skills intention and planning. In the volitional phase, coping self-efficacy, recovery self-efficacy, and planning were statistically significant predictors of parenting skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study confirm that volitional phase of the HAPA model is useful in determining parenting skills. However, the role motivational variables seem to be unimportant in performing these behaviors. It was concluded that everybody intended to apply parenting skills, in nature, and intervention strategies should be focused on turning intentions into behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of nursing, School of Nursing, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Saiideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Norouzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Yazd University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein Baghiani
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Yazd University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Morowatisharifabad
authors.affiliation: Department of Behvarzi, Deputy of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Norouzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Abhar, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Jafari
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Yazd University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fallahzadeh
keywords: Health action process approach; parenting skills; self-efficacy; social cognitive predictors