DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A NOVEL INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE FATHER INVOLVEMENT.

Introduction. An active father figure has positive consequences for both children and parents. Father involvment (FI) involves affective, ethic and cultural aspects, and has been described with a three-factor structure: accesibility, interaction and responsablity. There are several instruments to quantify FI, but there is not a validated scale in Chile to measure FI for families with children up to one year of age. Objective. To develop and validate an instrument to measure FI in chilean families with children up to one year of age. We will evaluate content validity, applicability and internal consistency. Methodology. We will use a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach. We will generate an operant definition of FI using the Delphy methodology from a literature search. This proposed definition will be validated at a local level in Santiago, Chile using focal groups with parents. After this validation, we will develop a structured FI scale using factors and coded with a Likert scale. The content validity of our scale will be validated with expert opinion. Scale applicability will be optimized in pilot applications and informal interviews. Finally, we will use confirmatory factor analysis and Chronbach analysis to determine whether our instrument describes a three factor structure with appropiate internal consistency. Signficance. Despite the relevance of father involvment in children upbringing, there is no scale validated for chilean population with children up to one year of age. Our instrument will allow to quantitatively evaluate policies and programs aimed to promote father involvement.