P-CRS: A Clinical Scale to Assess the Parent-Child Relationship in Infancy and Early Childhood.

Anna Maria Speranza,Marco Lauriola,Maria Quintigliano,Alexandro Fortunato

doi:10.3390/ijerph17103458

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the ability of a new clinician-report tool, the Parent-Child Relationship Scale (P-CRS), to assess the individual contributions that parents and their children make within the parent-child relationship, as well as interactions between parents and children in terms of developmental psychopathology. As clinical diagnoses in early childhood is both important and difficult, it is necessary to identify tools that can effectively contribute to evaluating parent-child relationships during the diagnostic process. A sample of 268 mother-child dyads, taken from both public and private clinical settings, was assessed. Clinicians were asked to assess these dyads using the P-CRS after four to five sessions of clinical evaluation. The results indicated that the three areas assessed by the P-CRS—“Interaction”, “Child” and “Parent”—could have different impacts on the various aspects of the parent-child relationship within distinct diagnostic groups. Thus, our findings support the use of the P-CRS to assist with clinical diagnosis during early childhood.

Highlights

From a clinical perspective, making a diagnosis during infancy and early childhood is both important and difficult
Regardless of child symptomatology, relationships could be considered a risk factor or a resource for child socio-emotional development, and assessment should include the level of global functioning of the relationship; the adaptive flexibility of both the child and the parent; and the conflict levels and capacity for resolution between child and parent, as well as the effect that the relationship can have on development [3]
The Diagnostic Classification Zero to Three-Revised (DC: 0-3R) [4] and its latest version (DC: 0-5) [5], and the Infancy and Early Childhood (IEC 0-3) Section of PDM-2 [3] have all focused on the importance of multi-informant assessment approaches, during infancy and early childhood

Summary

Introduction

From a clinical perspective, making a diagnosis during infancy and early childhood is both important and difficult. A significant number of infants and young children exhibit symptoms of psychopathological conditions that often persist, and that need to be identified and addressed rapidly [1]. At this age, it is not easy to distinguish between transitory problems and actual disorders [2]. In infancy and early childhood, the infant/child-caregiver relationship has a central role and needs to be included in the diagnostic process. Regardless of child symptomatology, relationships could be considered a risk factor or a resource for child socio-emotional development, and assessment should include the level of global functioning of the relationship; the adaptive flexibility of both the child and the parent; and the conflict levels and capacity for resolution between child and parent, as well as the effect that the relationship can have on development [3].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion