Overinvolved/Protective Parenting Questionnaires for Children: A Systematic Review in the Field of Internalizing Problems

Overinvolved/protective parenting has emerged in child development literature as part of the etiology of internalizing problems (anxiety/depression). This review aimed to explore overinvolved/protective parenting questionnaires that exist in the internalizing literature for different childhood periods and their psychometric properties (reliability, validity, norms). A systematic review was conducted through seven databases and Google Scholar. Extraction and evaluation of psychometric properties were double coded. Four hundred and sixty publications were screened for eligibility, with 20 of these further assessed. Ten overinvolved/protective parenting questionnaires were described in the literature (between 1993 and 2019) six starting as young as preschool age, two at primary school age and two in adolescence. Some questionnaires at each age stood out in terms of psychometric development: at preschool age, the Overinvolved/protective Parenting Scale, and at primary and high school age the Modified My Memories of Upbringing for Children. The Parental Bonding Instrument is also recommended in late adolescence. Clinicians and researchers can select from the questionnaires reviewed, to assist in clinical practice with children and families, along with etiology, treatment and prevention research.