A BRIEF SCALE FOR ASSESSING PARENTAL CHILD-REARING PRACTICE - PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES

The development and initial validation of the 20-item Colorado Parenta l Child-Rearing Scale (CPCRS) is described, based on three studies of college students, including one study that obtained data from students and their parents. The scale comprises four 5-item subscales that are largely uncorrelated and that reliably assess parental affection, pun itiveness, control, and lax discipline. The first three of these subsc ales have been repeatedly found in previous studies of parental child- rearing, while the fourth subscale has been found somewhat less common ly. Many previously identified relationships linking parental child-re aring practice and respondent personality and demographic characterist ics were confirmed in the present study. Data obtained from parents an d siblings yielded descriptions of parental child-rearing practice tha t were generally significantly correlated with those obtained from ind ex students. Suggestions for additional investigation of parental chil d-rearing practice are proposed.