Validation of the Childhood Experiences of Disorganization and Role-Reversal Short-Form in Emerging Adults

This study aimed to develop a short-form version of the 95-item Childhood Disorganization and Role Reversal Scale (CDRR), a questionnaire measure of disorganized and controlling parent-child attachment patterns (disorganized, affective caregiving, and punitive) for emerging adults and to assess its validity. Participants were 1,609 US and Canadian college students, M ( SD ) age = 18.91 (1.33), 79% women) who completed the CDRR and measures of childhood adversity, depressive symptoms, and parentification. Multidimensional item response theory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 22-item three-factor version of the CDRR (disorganized, affective caregiving, and punitive) with mothers and fathers. Each disorganized pattern towards mothers and fathers was significantly associated with childhood adversity, depressive symptoms, and parentification, and unique relations emerged. Our findings support the validity of CDRR-S as an efficient screening measure of disorganized and controlling parent-child attachments for emerging adults.