Parenting Self-Efficacy Within the First Year Postpartum in Non-Birthing Parents: A Scoping Review

Parenting self-efficacy is a parent's belief in their ability to execute tasks related to raising children and providing them with care to ensure healthy development. While considerable research has been completed with birthing parents, the breadth of work that has been conducted on non-birthing parents is not known. The objective of this scoping review was to identify and analyze the literature on parenting self-efficacy in non-birthing parents within the first year postpartum. The search was completed on October 28, 2024. All qualitative and quantitative study designs were included. Titles, abstracts, and full text were screened by two reviewers. Overall, 125 studies reported on parenting self-efficacy in non-birthing parents. Over two-thirds (69.6%) of studies were published since 2011, with most being quantitative (91.2%). Only four studies included 2SLGBTQAA+ parents, only one of which reported on parenting self-efficacy differentiated by group. Over half (56.0%) of the studies used the term self-efficacy, followed by competence (28.0%) and confidence (16.0%). The measurement tool that was most used was the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale and the most common co-reported outcomes were depression and social support. In conclusion, while the field of research on parenting self-efficacy in non-birthing parents is growing, there is also a dearth of evidence on 2SLGTBQAA+ parents' parenting self-efficacy.