The MOPS is a 30-item scale that measures dysfunctional parenting practices, specifically indifference, over-control and abuse. This scale consists of 15 statements which are repeated for the individual’s mother and father separately.

Citation reference:

• Parker, G., Roussos, J., Hadzi Pavlovic, D., Mitchell, P., Wilhelm, K., & Austin, M.P. (1997). The development of a refined measure of dysfunctional parenting and assessment of its relevance in patients with affective disorders. Psychological Medicine, 27, 1193-1203.

Participants were asked to rate how true each item was of their mother and then their father within their first 16 years. Ratings were on a 4-point scale from 'Not true at all” to 'Extremely true”.

A total MOPS score is generally not used, but there are three subscales measuring:

• Indifference (items 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13)
• Over-control (items 1, 3, 4, 6)
• Abuse (items 2, 7, 9, 14, 15)

In all scales, the higher the score the higher the dysfunctional parenting.