(PCRI) Parent-Child Relationship Inventory

BY ANTHONY B. GERARD, PHD

This unique self-report inventory tells you how parents view the task of parenting and how they feel about their children. Designed for use with mothers or fathers of 3- to 15-year-old children, the PCRI gives you a clear, quantified description of the parent-child relationship. And it identifies specific areas in which problems may occur.

Standardized on more than 1,100 parents across the United States, the PCRI includes 78 items covering seven distinct scales:

• Parental Support
• Satisfaction With Parenting
• Involvement
• Communication
• Limit Setting
• Autonomy
• Role Orientation

In addition, two validity scales alert you to the possibility that the parent is responding inconsistently or portraying the parent-child relationship in an unrealistically positive light.

Requiring only a fourth-grade reading level, the PCRI can be completed in just 15 minutes and then hand or computer scored. If you choose computer scoring, you can use the CD, which gives you a full interpretive report.

Because many fathers now take an active role in parenting, PCRI items are appropriate for either parent—and separate norms are provided for mothers and fathers. Given its specific focus on parenting attitudes, the PCRI is highly useful in child custody evaluation, family therapy, parent training, and child abuse assessment.