Introduction

The EMBU-PER-23 (Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran – Parent Version) is a self-report psychometric instrument designed to assess parents’ perceptions of their own child-rearing practices. Derived from the original EMBU framework, which evaluates parenting behaviors and family interactions, the 23-item version provides a concise and psychometrically sound measure of parenting style. It is widely used in developmental psychology, family studies, child psychiatry, and educational research to examine parental behaviors associated with children’s emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial development. The abbreviated 23-item format was developed to maintain the core dimensions of the original EMBU while improving efficiency for both research and clinical practice.

Description

The EMBU-PER-23 consists of 23 items assessing parents’ perceptions of their child-rearing behaviors across several fundamental dimensions, including:

  • Emotional warmth and affection.
  • Rejection and criticism.
  • Overprotection and excessive control.
  • Encouragement of autonomy.
  • Consistency in parenting practices.

Items are typically rated using a Likert-type response scale, with higher scores on each subscale indicating a greater presence of the corresponding parenting behavior. The questionnaire evaluates parenting from the parent’s perspective, complementing child- and adolescent-report versions of the EMBU.

Purpose

The EMBU-PER-23 is designed to:

  • Assess parents’ perceptions of their own parenting practices.
  • Evaluate major dimensions of child-rearing behavior.
  • Investigate associations between parenting style and child development.
  • Support family assessment in clinical and educational settings.
  • Facilitate research on parenting, attachment, and family functioning.

Administration

The questionnaire is self-administered and generally requires 5–10 minutes to complete. It is suitable for parents of children and adolescents and may be administered individually or as part of broader family assessment protocols in clinical, educational, and research settings.

Scoring

Each item is scored according to the selected Likert response, and responses are summed or averaged within each subscale. Rather than producing a single global parenting score, the EMBU-PER-23 generates dimension-specific scores reflecting different parenting behaviors.

Higher scores indicate stronger endorsement of the corresponding parenting dimension, such as greater emotional warmth, higher rejection, or increased overprotection, depending on the subscale being evaluated.

Interpretation

The EMBU-PER-23 provides a multidimensional profile of parenting practices. High Emotional Warmth scores generally reflect supportive, affectionate, and responsive parenting, whereas elevated Rejection or Overprotection scores may indicate parenting behaviors associated with increased risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties in children. Interpretation should consider family context, cultural background, and complementary clinical information.

Statistical Analysis

Psychometric evaluation of the EMBU-PER-23 commonly includes:

  • Descriptive statistics.
  • Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha).
  • McDonald’s Omega.
  • Test–retest reliability.
  • Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA/CFA).
  • Convergent and discriminant validity.
  • Item-total correlations.
  • Correlation and multiple regression analyses.
  • Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).
  • Group comparisons (t-test, ANOVA, MANOVA).

Research has demonstrated satisfactory reliability and construct validity for abbreviated EMBU versions across different countries and cultural settings.

Applications

The EMBU-PER-23 is widely used in:

  • Developmental psychology.
  • Family psychology.
  • Child and adolescent psychiatry.
  • Educational psychology.
  • Parenting intervention programs.
  • Attachment research.
  • Cross-cultural studies of parenting.

Advantages

  • Brief and easy to administer.
  • Assesses multiple dimensions of parenting behavior.
  • Parent-report format complements child and adolescent EMBU versions.
  • Strong psychometric foundation.
  • Suitable for both clinical assessment and large-scale research.

Limitations

As a self-report instrument, responses may be influenced by social desirability, self-perception bias, and cultural expectations regarding parenting. The questionnaire measures parents’ perceptions of their own behaviors rather than directly observing parent–child interactions. Consequently, findings should be interpreted alongside additional family assessments and, where appropriate, reports from children or other caregivers.

References

Castro, J., de Pablo, J., Gómez, J., Arrindell, W. A., & Toro, J. (1997). Assessing Rearing Behaviour from the Perspective of the Parents: A New Form of the EMBU. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

Arrindell, W. A., Perris, C., Eisemann, M., et al. (1999). The Development of a Short Form of the EMBU: Its Appraisal with Students in Greece, Guatemala, Hungary and Italy. Personality and Individual Differences.

Ross, M. W., Clayer, J. R., & Campbell, R. L. (1983). Dimensions of Child-Rearing Practices: Factor Structure of the EMBU. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.