Parental representations in drug-dependent patients and their parents

The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), a measure of perceived parental care and protection, was administered to drug-dependent patients and their pare nts with the aim to assess the reliability of the instrument in such sample s and to compare the parental representations across generations. Ninety dr ug-dependent patients and 44 mothers and 35 fathers participated. Reliabili ty indices were calculated, and parental representations of parents and the ir offspring were compared. Linear regression analyses were performed with the patient's PBI score as the dependent variable and the mother's and fath er's PBI scores as predictor variables. The reliability indices were highly satisfactory and varied between 0.61 and 0.91, The parental bonding of pat ients, fathers, and mothers was similar. All three groups reported high mat ernal and paternal control and low maternal care, a pattern characteristic of an "affectionless control" rearing style. Maternal care received by the fathers and paternal protection received by the mothers predicted the care: and protection they themselves gave to their drug-dependent offspring. Cop yright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.