The representation of child-parent relation: validation of the Italian version of the child-parent relationship scale (CPRS-I)

Teresa Rinaldi; Ilaria Castelli; Nicola Palena; Andrea Greco; Robert Pianta; Antonella Marchetti; Annalisa Valle

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1194644

The representation of child-parent relation: validation of the Italian version of the child-parent relationship scale (CPRS-I)

Front Psychol. 2023 Sep 20:14:1194644. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1194644. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Teresa Rinaldi¹, Ilaria Castelli², Nicola Palena², Andrea Greco², Robert Pianta³, Antonella Marchetti⁴, Annalisa Valle⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Università eCampus, Novedrate, Italy.
² Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy.
³ Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.
⁴ Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

This study proposes a psychometric validation of the Italian version of the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS) developed by Pianta in 1992. Based on attachment theory, the scale assesses parents' relationship perceptions with their own child and comprises three scales: Closeness, Conflict, and Dependency. A sample of 501 parents (188 fathers and 313 mothers) completed 30 items of the Italian version of the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS-I) online, but only 437 answered 85% of the entire protocol; hence, the analyses only focused on 437 participants. The first analysis of the original theoretical model revealed poor fit, item loadings, and internal consistency. Therefore, a follow-up analysis was conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses with a split sample (EFA = 218; CFA = 219) confirmed the original three-factor structure of the Italian sample, although some items were eliminated. The validity and reliability of the Italian version of the CPRS-I were also verified by correlating the above three factors with measures of adult attachment styles and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The CPRS-I showed significant correlations with all tested constructs, in line with those found by Driscoll and Pianta for the short form of the scale. Our results confirm that the CPRS-I has the same structure as the original scale; therefore, it can be a useful tool for assessing parents' perceptions of their relationship with their children. The implications for educational and clinical settings are also discussed.

Keywords: Italian validation; attachment; child–parent relation; closeness; conflict; dependency; parent representation.