Parental Bonding Instrument – PBI
Measures fundamental parental styles of care and overprotection as perceived by the child during their first 16 years.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Parental Bonding Instrument – PBI was developed by Gordon Parker, Hilary Tupling, and L. B. Brown (1979). It is designed to measure Parental bonding (Care and Overprotection). The scale is intended for use with Adults (recalling childhood up to age 16).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 25 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Care, Overprotection.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Care | 1,2,4,5,6,11,12,14,16,17,18,24 | 12 |
| Overprotection | 3,7,8,9,10,13,15,19,20,21,22,23,25 | 13 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 3 = Very like, 2 = Moderately like, 1 = Moderately unlike, 0 = Very unlike.
The scale includes 12 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 39. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Care (Care Subscale): 0 – 23
- High Care (Care Subscale): 24 – 36
- Low Overprotection (Overprotection Subscale): 0 – 12
- High Overprotection (Overprotection Subscale): 13 – 39
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.