The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) was designed as a refined self-report measure of fundamental parental dimensions of care and protection. The utility of such a self-report measure is dependent on demonstration of robust psychometric characteristics, particularly the extent to which the PBI provides valid ratings of actual and not merely perceived characteristics. This paper reviews initial and more recently published studies assessing the psychometric properties of the PBI, and which suggest satisfactory reliability and validity.