Research reportThe 10-item Remembered Relationship with Parents (RRP10) scale: Two-factor model and association with adult depressive symptoms

BackgroundDysfunctional parenting styles are associated with poor mental and physical health. The 10-item Remembered Relationship with Parents (RRP10) scale retrospectively assesses Alienation (dysfunctional communication and intimacy) and Control (overprotection by parents), with an emphasis on deficiencies in empathic parenting. We examined the 2-factor structure of the RRP10 and its relationship with adult depression.Methods664 respondents from the general population (48% men, mean age 54.6 ± 14.2 years) completed the RRP10, Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and Beck Depression Inventory.ResultsThe Alienation and Control dimensions of the RRP10 displayed a sound factor structure, good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.83-0.86), and convergent validity against the PBI scales. No significant gender differences were found on the RRP10 scales. Stratifying by RRP10 dimensions showed that respondents high in Alienation and Control, for both father (33.3% vs. 14.5%, p < 0.0001) and mother (42% vs. 12.9%, p < 0.0001) items, experienced the highest levels of depressive symptoms compared with respondents low in Alienation and Control. While scoring high on Alienation or Control alone was also significantly and independently associated with depressive symptoms, scoring high on both Alienation and Control was most strongly connected with depressive symptoms for both father (OR = 2.48, p < 0.004) and mother (OR = 5.34, p < 0.0001) items.LimitationsCross-sectional study design.ConclusionsThe RRP10 is a reliable and valid measure of remembered parental Alienation and Control. High Alienation and Control were independently related to increased risk of depressive symptoms. Given the brevity of the RRP10, it can easily be used in epidemiological/clinical research on the link between the remembered relationship with parents and mental/physical health.