Purpose of the Questionnaire (Scale)

The Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ-Child) was developed to investigate the degree to which children perceive parental acceptance or rejection, primarily focusing on the mother. It targets children aged 6 to 12 years and aims to measure their perception of behaviors reflecting parental warmth or rejection. The tool is used by psychologists, researchers, and family counselors to assess the emotional relationship between the child and the parent as perceived by the child.

Analysis of the Questionnaire (Scale)

The scale was developed by Ronald Rohner within the framework of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory (PART). It was created in 1975 and has since been widely used globally. The Greek adaptation was made by A. Dimitriou and P. Christodoulides. The questionnaire includes 60 items referring to the mother and is divided into four subscales: Warmth/Affection (20 items), Hostility/Aggression (15 items), Indifference/Neglect (15 items), and Undifferentiated Rejection (10 items). It is a self-report tool in which the child evaluates the parental behaviors as perceived in their daily life, focusing on the degree of affection or rejection.

Scoring of the Items

Scoring is based on the sum of item scores within each subscale. Higher scores indicate a greater presence of the trait measured by that subscale. For example, a high score in the Warmth/Affection subscale indicates a high perception of parental warmth. However, in order to produce an overall rejection index, the scoring for the Warmth subscale is reversed numerically so that it aligns with the other three subscales that reflect negative parental behaviors. The overall rejection score thus results from the combination of Hostility/Aggression, Indifference/Neglect, Undifferentiated Rejection, and the reversed Warmth/Affection scores, providing a comprehensive perception of parental rejection.

Statistical Analysis

The Greek adaptation was administered to a sample of 220 children from the Limassol district, aged 6 to 12 years, with an average age of 9.5 years and approximately equal gender distribution. The mean scores by subscale were: Warmth/Affection 40.32 (out of 60), Hostility/Aggression 23.03 (out of 45), Indifference/Neglect 24.25 (out of 45), and Undifferentiated Rejection 15.85 (out of 30). These scores allow classification of children into levels of low, moderate, or high perception of parental acceptance or rejection. Interpretation depends on the score distribution, with high values indicating increased perception of maternal rejection.

Validity of the Questionnaire (Scale)

Construct validity is supported by factor analysis and statistical correlations with related psychometric variables. Results confirm that each subscale consistently measures the expected behaviors based on PART. The scale’s ability to differentiate between children with varying parental experiences enhances its internal validity.

Reliability of the Questionnaire (Scale)

Internal consistency reliability, as measured by Cronbach’s alpha, was high for most subscales: Warmth/Affection α = 0.89, Hostility/Aggression α = 0.86, Indifference/Neglect α = 0.79, and Undifferentiated Rejection α = 0.63. These values indicate satisfactory to very good reliability, especially for the first three subscales.

Bibliography

Rohner, R. (1975). They love me, they love me not: A worldwide study of the effects of parental acceptance and rejection. New Haven, CT: Human Relations Area Files.
Rohner, R. (1990). Handbook for the study of parental acceptance and rejection. Storrs, CT: Center for the Study of Parental Acceptance and Rejection.
Dimitriou, A., & Christodoulides, P. (adaptation). Perceived Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire. Limassol: Unpublished study.