# The assessment of recalled parental rearing: updated psychometric properties and population-based norms of the FEE German version in a representative sample

## TL;DR

This study evaluates the German version of the FEE questionnaire, which assesses recalled parental rearing behavior, confirming its reliability and validity for clinical use.

## Contribution

The study provides updated psychometric properties and population-based norms for the FEE German version using a representative sample.

## Key findings

- Fathers were rated higher in rejection and punishment, while mothers were rated higher in emotional warmth.
- Reliability indices were high for the first two scales and acceptable for control and overprotection.
- The FEE's three-dimensional structure and measurement invariance were confirmed by confirmatory factor analyses.

## Abstract

Parental rearing behavior has long been recognized as a crucial etiological factor contributing to the vulnerability of psychopathology. Clinical researchers have devoted considerable attention to this subject. In pursuit of this objective, it is vital to have efficient instruments able to assess remembered parental rearing behavior within clinical practice. The aim of this study was to conduct a new psychometric evaluation of the German instrument known as the “Fragebogen zum Erinnerten Elterlichen Erziehungsverhalten (FEE),” designed for the assessment of recalled parental rearing behavior. A recently collected representative dataset was used.

This questionnaire was psychometrically evaluated in a representative sample of the general population (N = 2,373) in Germany which included 50.5% women and 49.5% men with a mean age of M = 49.3 (SD = 17.5, range = 14–95).

Fathers were rated higher in rejection and punishment, and mothers were rated higher in emotional warmth with low to medium effect sizes. Men reported higher values of rejection and punishment and lower values of emotional warmth in the father version than women. Living in a city goes along with more rejection and punishment as well as more control and overprotection compared to people from rural areas, but effect sizes were small. Reliability indices were high in the first two scales and acceptable in the scale of control and overprotection. Divergent validity was shown by expected correlations with other health-related variables. The three-dimensional structure of the FEE and the measurement invariance regarding gender and age was confirmed by confirmatory factor analyses. Norm values are presented as percent rank scores.

The FEE represents a dependable and valid tool suitable for use in clinical practice. Our data established a connection between remembered parental rearing behavior, life satisfaction, and interpersonal issues, in accordance with existing literature. We also tackled certain challenges related to the retrospective evaluation of parental rearing behavior.