Companion Instruments for Measuring Children's Competence and Parental Style

Abstract

To better understand genetic, familial, and experiential contributions to competence and vulnerability, we have undertaken an epidemiological survey of personality development in twin children during the first six years of life. A series of new instruments has been created. This paper describes two questionnaire instruments and their validation: childhood personality scale, an instrument for reporting on a child's general personality and competence, and parent's report, an instrument designed to measure a parent's perception of his or her own parental style in relation to a particular child. The use of such instruments may help facilitate clinical communication about children and their parents and be of value in program evaluation and pediatric screening.