Measures for assessing parenting in research and practice

Concepts of parenting and their development are briefly reviewed, as well as the variety and scope of application of the term. Issues in relation to the assessment of parenting are discussed, and three questionnaire‐type measures are reviewed - the HOME Inventories, the Parenting Stress Index, and the Parenting Daily Hassles Scale. It is concluded that while these measures have a utility, theoretical developments in concepts of parenting will increasingly require the use of assessments more sensitive to the interactive and dynamic aspects of parenting. It seems probable that these will be observational methods or semi‐structured interviews, rather than questionnaires.