Parental expectancies and childhood anxiety disorders: psychometric properties of the Parental Expectancies Scale

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Parental Expectancies Scale (PES) in childhood anxiety disorder and normative samples. The PES is a 20-item self-report instrument that assesses five dimensions of parental expectancies in academic, extra-curricular, household, social, and general success areas. Results indicated that the PES has high test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Regarding validity, PES subscale scores discriminated clinical and normative groups. Principal component and confirmatory factor analyses supported the construct validity of the scale. The PES appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for quantifying parental expectancies. Implications as to case formulation and prescriptive treatment planning with anxious youth are discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.