The development of the daughter-guarding scale: An exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic study

Fathers represent one of the earliest opposite-sex relationships for daughters, and it has been suggested that fathers may shape their daughters' developmental trajectory. Fathers are often stricter with their daughters compared to sons in monitoring and correcting behaviors, most notably in the avenue of social and sexual monitoring. Nonetheless, there are no valid measurement tools for capturing the different factors associated with daughter-guarding by fathers. The current study proposed an instrument for addressing daughter-guarding as reported by fathers. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis showed that 3-underlying factors were present in daughter-guarding, such as social monitoring of friends, guarding decisions, and opposite-sex monitoring. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis showed that a 3-factor model was a good fit, and each of the 3-subscales were reliable. This work provides a good avenue for future studies seeking to address paternal behaviors and their influence on daughters' development.