Comparison of the capabilities of the questionnaire “Analysis of Family Relationships” and “Parental Essay” as methods for assessing the parental attitude of mothers in forensic psychological examination of disputes about education

Context and relevance. In expert practice, semi-projective methods and questionnaires are most often used to assess parental attitudes. Objective. To compare the capabilities of the methods “Analysis of Family Relationships” and “Parental Essay” for studying the characteristics of parental attitudes of mothers living together and separately with their children, during forensic psychological examinations in disputes about upbringing. Hypothesis. Categories that differ significantly between mothers living together and separately from their child can be identified by both methods; the results of applying the methods will significantly correlate in identical categories. Methods and materials. The study involved 30 women undergoing forensic psychological examination as part of a legal dispute on determining the child's place of residence or the procedure for communicating with a parent living separately. Parental attitude was established using the “Parental Essay” method, and parenting style was determined using the “Analysis of Family Relationships” questionnaire. Results. The results showed significant differences in the studied groups in the parameters “respect”, “unstable parenting style”, “underdevelopment of parental feelings”, “introduction of conflict between spouses into the sphere of education”. Conclusions. It is shown that the essay reveals unconscious attitudes through text analysis (qualitative data), and the standardized questionnaire gives a quantitative assessment on scales; both methods complement each other and make it possible to use them integratively.

1. Avdeeva, N.N. (2017). Child-Parent Relationship Therapy: Child-Parent Interaction Therapy of Sheila Eyberg (on foreign sources). Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 6(2), 7—14. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2017060201
2. Bodalev, A.A., Stolin, V.V. (2000). General psychodiagnostics. Saint Petersburg: Rech’ Publ. (In Russ.).
3. Istratova, O.N. (Ed.) (2017). Diagnostics and correction of parent-child relationships: Workshop. Rostov-on-Don: Feniks Publ. (In Russ.).
4. Konishcheva, A.V. (2022). Approaches to the Study of Parental Attitude in Russian Psychology. Psychology and Law, 12(3), 88—96. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2022120308
5. Nosulenko, V.N. (2021) Integration Issues of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Psychological Research. Experimental Psychology (Russia), 14(3), 4—16. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/exppsy.2021140301
6. Ovcharova, R.V. (2006). Parenthood as a psychological phenomenon. Moscow: Moscow Psychological and Social Institute Publ. (In Russ.).
7. Polkunova, E.V. (2015). Assessing the impact of parental attitudes on the child's psychological wellbeingwhen conducting expert psychological evaluations in family disputes. Theory and and Practice of Forensic Science, 4(40), 98—103. (In Russ.). URL: https://www.tipse.ru/jour/article/view/100 (viewed: 20.12.2024).
8. Polkunova, E.V. (2022). Application of the “Parent Essay” to Study Parental Attitudes in Forensic Psychological Examination. Psychology and Law, 12(3), 39—51. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2022120304
9. Rusakovskaya, O.A. (2018). Problems of forensic-psychiatric assessment in litigation over limiting parental rights of individuals suffering from mental disorders. Russian Journal of Psychiatry, 6, 27—34. (In Russ.). URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=36648391 (viewed: 10.12.2024).
10. Rusakovskaya, O.A., Kalashnikova, A.S., Kharitonova, N.K., Safuanov, F.S. (2021). The current state and problems of complex psychological and psychiatric evaluation in child custody disputes. Russian Journal of Psychiatry, 1, 24—36. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.47877/1560-957Х-2021-10103
11. Rusakovskaya, O.A., Novikova-Grund, M.V., Andrianova, S.B. The psychosemiotic approach towards assessment of parental attitude. Russian Journal of Psychiatry, 4, 27—35. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.24411/1560-957X-2019-11933
12. Safuanov, F.S., Savina, O.F., Morozova, M.V., Kalashnikova, A.S., Perepravina, Yu.O., Kulakov, S.S., Bodrova, O.K., Soldatova, K.M. (2023). Algorithm for conducting a comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric examination of family disputes between parents about raising a child. Moscow: V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Publ. (In Russ.).
13. Terekhina, S.A., Oshevsky, D.S. (2018). The problem of using psychological knowledge in family disputes over children in civil legal proceedings. Psychology and Law, 8(2), 152—163. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2018080212
14. Kharitonova, N.K., Safuanov, F.S., Vostroknutov, N.V., Rusakovskaya, O.A. (2014). Methodological Framework of Conduct for Integrated Psychological and Psychiatric Examinations in Disputes about the Right to Raise Children. Theory and Practice of Forensic Science, 3(35), 93—106. (In Russ.). URL: https://www.tipse.ru/jour/article/view/237 (viewed: 20.01.2025).
15. Shvedovskaya, A.A. (2005). Using the «Parental Essay» Method in Diagnosing Parent-Child Relationships in Preschool Age. Psychological Diagnostics, 4, 96—128. (In Russ.). URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=23200420 (viewed: 20.01.2025).
16. Eidemiller, E.G., Gorodnova, M.Yu., Tarabanov, A.E. (Eds.) (2022). Child psychiatry, psychotherapy and medical psychology. Saint Petersburg: Piter Publ. (In Russ.).
17. Ainsworth M.D.S., Bowlby J. (1991). An ethological approach to personality development. American Psychologist, 46, 331—341. https://doi:10.1037/0003-066X.46.4.333