Parental rearing behaviors: Stability of reports over time and relation to adult interpersonal skills

The EMBU (Perris, Jacobsson, Lindström, von Knorring, & Perris, 1980) is a measure by which adults report on the child-rearing behaviors of their parents. A 27-item form derived by factor analysis has three reliable scales—Supportive, Rejecting, and Overinvolved—for the behavior of respondents’ fathers and mothers separately. In a community sample of young adults (N = 101), we found high test-retest reliability after 4 years for the items and subscale scores of the short version. Short EMBU scores were correlated with psychological adjustment as assessed by self-report scales of affective state, work adjustment, and availability of support. Subjects reporting supportive or rejecting parents showed the levels of adjustment predicted by attachment theory. There were sex differences in the correlates of parental rearing behaviors, and among subjects with rejecting parents, women had poorer work adjustment and men had less effective interpersonal relationships.