THE PARENTING STRESS INDEX

Abstract

Competence: sense of competence in the parenting role, \nIsolation: lack of social support for his or her role as parent \nAttachment: assesses parent&s;s sense of attachment to the child, \nHealth: the impact of physical health on parenting, \nRole Restriction: impact of the restrictions parenting places on parent&s;s choices and freedom, \nDepression: impact of depression and feelings of gUilt on parenting behavior. \nSpouse: help and emotional support from the child&s;s other parent are responded to using a 5-point Likert scale with anchor points ranging from "strongly \nagree" to "strongly disagree." The PSI requires approximately 20 minutes to complete and \nrequires a fourth-to fifth-grade reading level. The PSI may be administered using either a \ntest booklet and a self-scoring answer sheet or a computer program that administers, scores, \nand writes an interpretive report. The computer program not only interprets the results but \nprovides recommendations, at-risk-for diagnoses, profile comparisons to known clinical \nsamples, and a topically arranged research reference list of validity studies. There is also \nan upward extension of the PSI called the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (SIPA; \nSheras, Abidin, & Konold, 1998) for use with adolescents aged 11 to 19. The SIPA is a \nseparate measure and is mentioned for information purposes; but is not covered in this \npresentation.