Perceived Parental Monitoring: A Systematic Review of Monitoring Instruments

Background and purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate parental monitoring instruments and the theoretical perspectives informing their development. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, seven databases were searched for original studies using a monitoring instrument. The psychometric properties of each identified instrument were assessed using the “COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments” (COSMIN) methodology. Results: Of 2,245 articles identified, 72 studies representing six parental monitoring instruments met inclusion criteria. Quality of reporting on psychometric properties varied widely across instruments with only three including content validation studies. Conclusions: Findings of this review reveal inattention to the psychometric quality of child self-reported monitoring instruments. Future research must focus on the psychometric quality of instruments used to measure the parent–child relationship.