40
year. Both of the domain scores as well as the total stress score were shown to have adequate test-retest reliability coefficients.
In a study with mothers, the PSI was found to correlate with both the Intensity and the Problem Scales on the ECBI (Eyberg, Boggs, & Rodriguez, 1992), indicating that child disruptive behaviors are associated with maternal stress. Discriminative validity has been demonstrated by Mouton and Tuma (1988) and Bessmer (1996) who found that the PSI parent and child domain scores were significantly higher for clinic-referred mothers as compared to control mothers.
The Parental Locus of Control-Short Form (PLOC-SF: Rayfield, Eyberg, Boggs. Roberts. 1995)
The PLOC-SF was developed from the Parental Locus of Control Scale (Campis, Lyman, & Prentice-Dunn, 1986). The PLOC-SF consists of 25 items intended to assess parents' attitudes about their ability to influence their children's behavior. The test items are rated by parents on a five-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). These ratings are summed to yield a total score. In addition, the PLOC-SF is divided into three subscales labeled Control, Fate/Chance, and Responsibility. Only the total score will be used in this study. The PLOC-SF has demonstrated good internal consistency for the total scale (Cronbach's alpha = .80), and was highly correlated (r = .90) with the original form of the measure.
Using the PLOC, Campis et al. (1986) found that parents whose children had behavior/emotional problems had significantly higher total scores than a non-problem sample, indicating that they perceived their child's behavior as less under their control.