Parenting Stress Index - Long Form. Computer-Assisted Interpretive Report. Developed By. Richard R. Abidin, EdD and PAR Staff. Demographic Information

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1 Parenting Stress Index - Long Form Computer-Assisted Interpretive Report Developed By Richard R. Abidin, EdD and PAR Staff Demographic Information - Respondent - Name : Sample L. Client Client ID : Relationship to Child : Mother (or female caretaker) Age : 24 Birthdate : 01/24/1977 Ethnicity : (not specified) - Child - Name : Madison Age : 4 Birthdate : 04/10/1997 Gender : Female Testing Information Test Date : 01/09/2002 Test Description : Long Form Referral Source : Dr. Rarick Test Administrator : Susan Caution: This report is designed to assist professionals in their interpretations of the results of the Parenting Stress Index. The interpretations made should be viewed as hypotheses that need collaboration from other data sources and the exercise of professional judgment. At no time should this interpretive report be submitted to parents or to other professionals as the sole basis for any clinical decisions regarding the management or treatment of clients or patients. PAR Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. / N. Florida Ave. / Lutz, FL / Toll-Free TEST PSI-SP Report Copyright 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means without written permission of Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. Version: 1.02 ( )

2 Client ID: Page 2 of 8 PSI Long Form Profile %ile 99 CHILD DOMAIN PARENT DOMAIN %ile Scale: DI AD RE DE MO AC Child CO IS AT HE RO DP SP Parent Total LS Raw:

3 Client ID: Page 3 of 8 Score Summary Defensive Responding Score = 57 Note: Defensive Responding is clinically significant when the score is 24 or less. Scale Raw Score Percentile Raw Score Norms Mean SD Total Stress Child Domain Distractibility/Hyperactivity (DI) Adaptability (AD) Reinforces Parent (RE) Demandingness (DE) Mood (MO) Acceptability (AC) Parent Domain Competence (CO) Isolation (IS) Attachment (AT) Health (HE) Role Restriction (RO) Depression (DP) Spouse (SP) Life Stress (LS) Percentile: Normal Range Percentile: Borderline Percentile: Clinically Significant +++ = Due to missing item data, this score was prorated. Interpret prorated scores with caution. Validity of Protocol The subscales DI, DE, and SP have been prorated due to a missing item. Interpret prorated scores with caution. This appears to be a valid protocol. (The parent's Defensive Responding score = 57.) Interpretation of Protocol This parent is in need of immediate professional assistance, and is probably overwhelmed by the stressful characteristics of her child and her life situation. The high level of stress this parent is experiencing appears to be a function of both her own characteristics and those of her child. The child is probably very difficult for the parent to

4 Client ID: Page 4 of 8 manage, and the possibility of child abuse and/or neglect exists. The parent sees the situation as being beyond her ability to cope. In a few cases, profiles like this are produced by individuals who are exaggerating, faking bad, or hysterical. Most commonly, however, the parent is depressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. Child neglect is most likely if abuse is occurring; however, other abuse is also possible. Adaptability This child appears to manifest behavioral characteristics that make the child very difficult to manage. Specifically, the child is lacking in adaptability and plasticity; this results in overreaction to changes in routine and problems in establishing schedules, followed by perseveration in behavior. Problems in adjusting to strangers and resistance to the calming or soothing efforts of the parent, once upset, are frequently present in the very young child. These children are extremely frustrating to parents; the parents often feel rejected by and/or punished by the child. In all likelihood, a minimally positive relationship exists between parent and child. Parents of children with major physical handicaps and children who are hyperactive frequently earn scores in this range. Acceptability The child's physical, intellectual, and/or emotional characteristics do not match those of the parent's hoped-for child. In parents of younger children (below age 4), some working through of loss needs to be done, while parents of older children will need help in setting constructive goals and realistic expectations for their child. There exists the real possibility that the parent has not bonded with the child and that this needs to be an area of focus for professional intervention. The potential for child abuse or neglect is heightened, and the likelihood exists that it will be difficult to engage the parent in a therapeutic program. Child neglect is most likely if abuse is occurring; however, other abuse is also possible. Demandingness The child appears to place inordinate demands upon the parent for attention and assistance. In young children, frequent crying or whining for things is common. These children often have failed to negotiate the developmental task of individualization and self-regulation. Mood The general lack of positive affect is probably a noticeable feature in this child. Moderately frequent episodes of crying, mild signs of depression, and general unhappiness are likely to be present more often than in the average child. The diagnostic question is to separate the amount of this characteristic that is a function of temperament from negative mood produced by situational stimuli. Distractibility/Hyperactivity This child appears to be excessively active and has difficulty attending to directions. The short attention span and distractibility are also associated with problems in compliance to directions

5 Client ID: Page 5 of 8 and requests for cooperation. As a result of these behaviors, the parent is likely to feel overwhelmed by the child. In older primaparous parents, the situation is often exacerbated and parental expectations for mature, adult-like behavior are, occasionally, the basis of the problem. Reinforces Parent In interactions with the parent, the child presents in such a way that the parent does not feel reinforced by the child. The absence of smiles and other positive behaviors emanating from the child is likely to lead to the parent feeling rejected or unappreciated. There exists the possibility that the parent cannot read the child correctly, but more often, the presence of depression or an organic cause is more likely. In this case depression would appear to be the likely cause. Depression This parent is experiencing some mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression and guilt, which at times may impair her ability to handle her parenting responsibilities. The problems typically associated with this level of depression include complaints of loss of energy and lack of followthrough in limit-setting and discipline. This depression and guilt may be reactive to the difficult characteristics of the child as opposed to the parent's characteristics or other situational variables. Attachment Problems in parental attachment are suggested. This parent does not appear to possess strong feelings of emotional closeness to the child. The lack of emotional closeness is upsetting to this parent. Role Restriction The restriction on personal freedom, which occurs as a result of parenthood, appears to represent a major source of frustration for this parent. This parent sees herself as being controlled and dominated by her child's needs and demands. Concerns regarding loss of personal identity are often expressed. Frequently, a strong undercurrent of resentment and anger generated by her frustration will be evident and is perceived by the child as a double message in many of the parent's communications. The interpretation of the restriction of parental role subscale of severely handicapped children must be modified in the benign direction, particularly if the Attachment score is below the 75 th percentile. Competence This parent appears to be overwhelmed by the demands of the role of parent and she is lacking in a sense of competence as to how to manage her child. Typically, this is associated with a lack of knowledge of both child development and appropriate child management skills. Exceptions to this are cases of children with ADHD or other severe handicapping conditions, where the child's behavioral characteristics often exhaust the coping and management skills of otherwise competent parents. It is likely that this parent's self-esteem is damaged as a result of the stress she experiences in trying to manage her active child.

6 Client ID: Page 6 of 8 Isolation Social isolation and the absence of normal social supports appear to be a major stressor for this parent. The absence of emotional support from friends and relatives increases the likelihood of dysfunctional parenting in the form of either enmeshment with her child or neglect. The possibility of child abuse or neglect should be considered. Spouse Conflict within the parents' relationship is likely to be a major stressor. The primary conflict probably involves the absence of emotional and material support by the other parent. Occasionally, conflicts regarding child management strategies and approaches will be at the heart of the problem. This is most often the case when the other parent has limited involvement with the child. This parent is distressed by the loss of intimacy and sharing with her partner. Health To some degree, this parent's effectiveness as a parent is undermined by her own health problems. The magnitude of this stressor is moderate and is not likely to result in any dysfunctional parenting behaviors. Life Stress This parent did not endorse a significant number of major stressors outside of the parent-child relationship, and this could be viewed as a positive factor in relation to the parent carrying out her parenting responsibilities. At Risk For Child Diagnosis: ¾ Attachment Disorder ¾ Oppositional Defiant Disorder ¾ Physical abuse/neglect Follow-Up Questions The parent's response to this item should be reviewed with her. ¾ My child is much more active than I expected. (Strongly Agree) Recommendations On the basis of this profile, the following recommendations should be considered: An evaluation of the breadth of the child's oppositional behavior needs to be explored. Attention needs to be given to the issue of whether the oppositional and negative child behaviors are pervasive or reactive to parental child-management methods. An evaluation of this parent's discipline methods and her level of awareness of her child's physical and emotional needs should be conducted. While the potential for physical abuse and neglect may exist, it must not be assumed to be present.

7 Client ID: Page 7 of 8 This child should be assessed for the presence of a clinically significant childhood depression or anxiety disorder. This parent is in need of respite care. The use of medication to deal with this child's activity level should be considered. This child's parent should be given some guidance in learning how to read her child's behavior. Keeping positive and negative critical incident logs or collecting observation data of different categories of behavior should help the parent focus on the child. Given this child's level of demandingness, the parents may profit from consultation on how to extinguish negative behaviors. This parent may be helped by an examination of the difference between her child and her idealized or expected child. She needs to work through her hoped-for child. This exploration should help her better understand her reactions to her child's behavior both overtly and emotionally. This parent is in need of professional assistance and is probably overwhelmed by the stressful characteristics of both her child and her personal life circumstances. The need for parenting-skills training and parent consultation should be presented to this parent to build her sense of competence as a parent. (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy [1986] by S. Eyberg, Early Childhood Parenting Skills [1996] by R. R. Abidin, or S.O.S. Parent Training [1985] by L. Clark) The possible need for marital counseling should be raised with these parents, particularly in relation to coordinating their parenting behaviors. This parent needs immediate consultation and parent training regarding methods of child care and discipline. Joint parent consultation regarding child management approaches should be encouraged. The parent-child relationship is in need of repair. The use of guided play exercises should be considered (e.g., Theraplay [1986] by A. M. Jernberg or Infant-Parent Psychotherapy [1993] by A. F. Lieberman). The parent needs to see this child in a more positive light. This parent appears socially isolated and needs assistance in building an emotional support network. The provision of respite care and intervention aimed at increasing this parent's social support system are recommended. An intervention which focuses on enhancing both the parents' self-esteem and parenting skills should be developed. Talk with this parent regarding her feelings of alienation from her child or of rejection by her child. Discuss with this parent the possible need of respite care for her child so that the parent's personal needs are also met. This parent will need support to consider her needs as well as the child's needs. This parent needs guidance on how to cue and prestructure the child's response to transitions and new situations. Teach the parent to use rehearsals to prepare her child to make the desired response.

8 Client ID: Page 8 of 8 End of Report