Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS)

Positive & Negative Parenting 

Assess multiple domains of parenting shown to impact youth development

Parent & Youth Report Versions

Gather both parent, coparent, and youth perspectives on parenting 

Growing Evidence & Translations

 Strong psychometric properties across 20+ independent studies; 10 languages
The Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS; Parent & Forehand, 2017) assesses positive and negative parenting practices. The MAPS was developed from established measures of parenting practices to select optimal parenting items constituting both positive and negative dimensions of warmth/hostility and behavioral control appropriate for parents of children across the developmental span from young childhood through adolescence. The MAPS has demonstrated excellent internal and test-retest reliability as well as initial longitudinal support for the validity of MAPS subscale scores (Parent & Forehand, 2017; Parent et al., 2021). Additionally, measurement invariance across youth developmental stages from young childhood to adolescence has been established for the MAPS subscales. 

The Broadband Positive Parenting subscale of the MAPS includes four narrowband subscales: Proactive Parenting which measures child-centered appropriate responding to anticipated difficulties; Positive Reinforcement which measures contingent responses to positive child behavior with praise, rewards, or displays of approval; Warmth which measures displays of affection; and Supportiveness which measures displayed interest in the child, encouragement of positive communication, and openness to a child’s ideas and opinions.
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The Broadband Negative Parenting factor includes three narrowband subscales: Hostility which includes items representing intrusive parenting that is overcontrolling and parent-centered as well as harshness which includes coercive processes such as arguing, threats, and yelling, ineffective discipline, and irritability; Physical Control which includes items representing physical discipline both generally and specifically out of anger and frustration; and Lax Control which includes items representing permissiveness or the absence of control, easily coerced control in which the parent backs down from control attempts based on the child’s behavior, and inconsistency which is the failure to follow through with control or inconsistent applying consequences.

MAPS Evidence

Within Lab Evidence
  • Parent, J., & Forehand, R. (2017). The Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS): Development and psychometric properties. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26, 2136-2151. doi: 10.1007/s10826-017-0741-5
  • Parent, J., Dale, C. F., McKee, L. G., & Sullivan, A. D.W. (2021). The longitudinal influence of caregiver dispositional mindful attention on mindful parenting, parenting practices, and youth psychopathology. Mindfulness, 2, 357–369. doi: 10.1007/s12671-020-01536-x
  • Han, Z.R., Ahemaitijiang, N., Yan, J., Hu, X., Parent, J., Dale, C. F., DiMarzio, K., & Singh, N.N. (2021). Parent mindfulness, parenting and child psychopathology in China. Mindfulness, 12, 334-343. doi: 10.1007/s12671-019-01111-z
  • Acosta, J., Parent, J., McMakin, D. L., McKee, L. G., DiMarzio, K., & Dale, C. F. (2021). Longitudinal associations between parenting practices and youth sleep problems. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 42, 751-760. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000953
  • Hare, M., Feeney, K. E., & Parent, J. (2022). Pathways from parent anxiety and depression to parent and youth emotion functioning. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. doi: 10.1007/s10578-022-01482-w
  • Acosta, J., Parent, J., & Hare, M., DiMarzio, K., Sisitsky, M., McMakin, D. (in press). Developing the Nighttime Parenting Scale: Differentiating nighttime versus general parenting practices and their impact on youth sleep health. Sleep Health. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2023.05.007
Measurement Invariance (or lack thereof)
  • Loiselle, R., Greorgeson, A., Thissen, D., Jones, D. J., Forehand, R., & Parent, J. (2021). Validation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting: An application of item response theory. Psychological Assessment, 33, 803–815. doi: 10.1037/pas0001019
  • Rodriguez, V.J., Cadet, G.D.J., Sistisky, M., Cooley, C., Acosta, J., Coles, E., Charity-Parker, B. M,, Walters, A., Shaffer, A., & Parent, J. (2023). Assessing parenting in racially and ethnically diverse families: A lack of measurement equivalence. Journal of Family Psychology. doi: 10.1037/fam0001095
  • Zhou, X. A., Dale, C., DiMarzio, K., Gadet, G., Ahemaitijiang, N., Han, Z. R., & Parent, J. (2023). A cross-cultural comparison of parenting assessment across USA and China. Journal of Family Psychology. doi: 10.1037/fam0001099
Translation Validation
  • Hemaitijiang, N., Han, R., Dale, C. F., DiMarzio, K., & Parent, J. (2021). Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS). Psychological Assessment, 33, e1–e12. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000981
  • Karababa, A. (2019). Çok boyutlu ebeveynlik stillerini değerlendirme ölçeği’nin (ÇESDÖ)(ebeveyn formu) türkçeye uyarlanması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 46(46), 108-131.
Independent Evidence
  • Perry, K. J., Mutignani, L. M., Gissandaner, T. D., Penner, F., Santos, R., & Sarver, D. E. (2023). Testing an integrated dimensional model of adverse childhood experiences: Associations with COVID-19 outcomes. Child Abuse & Neglect, 143, 106239.
  • Gershy, N., Cohen, R., & Poria, N. A. (2023). Parental mentalization goes to school: a brief online mentalization-based intervention to improve parental academic support. Attachment & Human Development, 25(2), 254-271.
  • Shutzman, B., & Gershy, N. (2023). Children's excessive digital media use, mental health problems and the protective role of parenting during COVID-19. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107559.
  • Zhou, X., Shein, B. W., Khalil, A., & Duncan, R. J. (2023). Parent and child adjustment dual trajectories at the beginning of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Family process, 62(1), 352-367.
  • Bozoglan, B., & Kumar, S. (2022). Parenting styles, parenting stress and hours spent online as predictors of child internet addiction among children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(10), 4375-4383.
  • Cordts, K. M. P., Wilson, A. C., & Riley, A. R. (2020). More than mental health: Parent physical health and early childhood behavior problems. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, 41(4), 265.
  • Wesemann, D. G., Wilson, A. C., & Riley, A. R. (2022). Parental cannabis use, negative parenting, and behavior problems of young children. Substance Use & Misuse, 57(13), 2015-2019.
  • Cohen, R., Yassin, N., & Gershy, N. (2022). Parenting in Israel amid COVID-19: the Protective Role of Mentalization and Emotion Regulation. Adversity and Resilience Science, 3(4), 283-296.
  • Hails, K. A., Petts, R. A., Hostutler, C. A., Simoni, M., Greene, R., Snider, T. C., & Riley, A. R. (2022). COVID-19 distress, negative parenting, and child behavioral problems: The moderating role of parent adverse childhood experiences. Child Abuse & Neglect, 130, 105450.
  • Jones, L. B., Kiel, E. J., Luebbe, A. M., & Hay, M. C. (2022). Resilience in mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(6), 815–826.
  • Penner, F., Elzaki, Y., Contreras, H. T., Santos, R. P., & Sarver, D. E. (2022). Behavioral, Affective, and Cognitive Parenting Mechanisms of Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Research on child and adolescent psychopathology, 50(9), 1121-1138.
  • Yan, J. J., Schoppe-Sullivan, S., Wu, Q., & Han, Z. R. (2021). Associations from parental mindfulness and emotion regulation to child emotion regulation through parenting: The moderating role of coparenting in Chinese families. Mindfulness, 12, 1513-1523.
  • Kelly, R. J., Martin-Cuellar, A., Bagley, E. J., Lemberger-Truelove, M. E., & Mayer, H. N. (2021). Maternal harsh parenting, SES, and young children’s sleep. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30, 1528-1539.
  • Ren, Y., Han, Z. R., Ahemaitijiang, N., & Zhang, G. (2021). Maternal mindfulness and school-age children’s emotion regulation: Mediation by positive parenting practices and moderation by maternal perceived life stress. Mindfulness, 12, 306-318.
  • Riley, A. R., Walker, B. L., Wilson, A. C., Hall, T. A., Stormshak, E. A., & Cohen, D. J. (2019). Parents’ consumer preferences for early childhood behavioral intervention in primary care. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, 40(9), 669.