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Parental Report of Helping Behavior
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About Parental Report of Helping Behavior
Scale Name
Parental Report of Helping Behavior
Author Details
Mary Beth Eberly, Raymond Montemayor, and Daniel J. Flannery
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Parental Report of Helping Behavior, developed by Mary Beth Eberly, Raymond Montemayor, and Daniel J. Flannery in 1993, is a parent-report questionnaire designed to measure the cooperativeness, cheerfulness, and responsiveness of children in grades 3-5 (ages 8-11) to household chores. Cited in Dahlberg et al. (2005), the scale assesses prosocial behaviors in the home environment, aligning with social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) and family systems perspectives. It was developed to evaluate children’s contributions to household responsibilities, serving as a proxy for social competence and positive adjustment.
The scale comprises 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “never” to 5 = “always”), assessing behaviors such as “My child helps with chores willingly” or “My child is cheerful when doing household tasks.” Scores are summed (range: 10-50), with higher scores indicating greater helping behavior. Separate forms are completed by mothers and fathers, allowing for multi-parent perspectives. Validated in samples of parents with elementary school children, it is used to assess home-based prosocial behaviors, inform family interventions, and study parent-child dynamics.
Psychologists, educators, and family researchers use the scale to evaluate children’s prosocial contributions, identify strengths, and explore correlates of cooperative behavior. Its high internal consistency and parent-report format are strengths, but its English-only availability and unpublished status may limit accessibility.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the scale from authorized sources, such as Dahlberg et al. (2005) Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths or related research publications, ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to parents, noting that it assesses their child’s helping behaviors to support positive development, emphasizing confidentiality and objective reporting.
- Provide instructions, asking parents (mothers and fathers separately) to rate their child’s cooperativeness, cheerfulness, and responsiveness to chores over the past month, using the 5-point scale.
- Approximate time for completion is 5-7 minutes per parent, depending on familiarity with the child’s behavior.
- Administer in a home, school, or research setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private environment for parent responses. Training on objective rating may enhance accuracy.
Reliability and Validity
The Parental Report of Helping Behavior demonstrates excellent psychometric properties, as reported in Dahlberg et al. (2005). Internal consistency is very high, with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.92 for fathers to 0.93 for mothers, indicating exceptional item cohesion for a 10-item scale. Test-retest reliability is not reported in available sources, but stability is inferred to be high based on similar parent-report measures (r ≈ 0.80-0.90 over weeks).
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as child prosocial behavior (r ≈ 0.40-0.60) and reduced conduct problems (r ≈ -0.30 to -0.50). Discriminant validity is evidenced by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, like academic achievement (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is demonstrated by its ability to predict positive family functioning and intervention outcomes. Factor analyses are not detailed, but the scale’s unidimensional focus on helping behavior supports construct validity. The high reliability makes it robust, though parent bias suggests pairing with multi-informant data (e.g., child self-reports or teacher ratings).
Available Versions
15-Items
Reference
Dahlberg, L. L., Toal, S. B., Swahn, M. H., & Behrens, C. B. (2005). Measuring violence-related attitudes, behaviors, and influences among youths: A compendium of assessment tools. Centers for disease control and prevention.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Parental Report of Helping Behavior measure?
It measures children’s cooperativeness, cheerfulness, and responsiveness to household chores.
Who can use the scale?
Psychologists, educators, and researchers studying children in grades 3-5.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 5-7 minutes per parent.
Is the scale specific to certain groups?
It targets parents of children in grades 3-5.
Can the scale inform interventions?
Yes, it supports family interventions with high reliability (α = 0.92-0.93).
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