ABSTRACT

While not originally designed for forensic purposes, the Parenting Stress Index is increasingly being used in forensic contexts. The originator of the PSI (Abidin, 1998) has acknowledged that he is not a forensic psychologist and that he never envisioned that the PSI would be used for forensic purposes. Nevertheless, the PSI, like other psychological measures, has had its utility extended through the research and clinical efforts of others. The purpose of this chapter is to inform the reader about the nature of the PSI, the types of information it generates, its core reliability and validity, and its possible uses in forensic work. The writing team for this chapter represents a collaboration between the PSI’s developer and two forensic experts with extensive experience using the PSI. It is the goal of the authors that potential users of the PSI will be better able to judge its utility and validity for their purposes, and to recognize its limitations, after reading this chapter.