Lum Emotional Availability of Parents measure (LEAP)

Description

The Emotional Availability of Parents (LEAP) measure is a 15-item self-report questionnaire that assesses the emotional availability of parents. It was developed by Lum and Phares (2004) and is based on the concept of emotional availability, which is defined as the ability of a parent to be sensitive, responsive, and supportive of their child’s emotional needs.

Definition

The LEAP measure assesses three dimensions of emotional availability:

• Sensitivity: The ability of the parent to accurately perceive their child’s emotional state.
• Responsiveness: The ability of the parent to respond appropriately to their child’s emotional state.
• Supportiveness: The ability of the parent to provide emotional support to their child.

History

The LEAP measure was developed in the early 2000s by Lum and Phares (2004). The measure was developed based on the concept of emotional availability, which is a central construct in attachment theory. Attachment theory is a theory of human development that emphasizes the importance of the early parent-child relationship for later psychological development.

Characteristics

The LEAP measure is a self-report questionnaire that is completed by parents. The measure takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The LEAP measure has been shown to be reliable and valid. The measure has been used in a variety of research studies to assess the emotional availability of parents.

Sources

• Lum, H., & Phares, V. (2004). Measuring parental emotional availability to adolescents: Validation of the Lum Emotional Availability of Parents (LEAP) scale. Journal of Family Psychology, 18(3), 461-473.
• Lum, H., & Phares, V. (2005). Parental emotional availability and adolescent eating disturbances. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(1), 89-101.

The LEAP measure is a valuable tool for parents and professionals who are working with parents to improve their emotional availability. The measure can be used to identify parents who are at risk of being emotionally unavailable to their children. It can also be used to track the progress of parents who are working to improve their emotional availability.

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