Adolescent-Reported Parenting Items

Abstract

The Adolescent-Reported Parenting Items constitute a comprehensive psychological assessment tool designed to measure multiple dimensions of the parent-adolescent relationship from the perspective of the adolescent respondent. This compilation of items was notably utilized in the doctoral research of Susan E. Purcell (2007) to investigate the relationship between parenting practices, Adolescent Disclosure, and adolescent substance use.

The scale is structured around four primary constructs: Parent-Adolescent Communication (including subscales for Open and Problem-Free communication, and a dedicated Adolescent Disclosure Scale), Parental Autonomy-Granting and Indirect Control, Parental Involvement, and Parental Inconsistency. All items are backward-looking, utilizing the standardized stem, “In the past three months…”, and many require reverse scoring (-R) to ensure high scores reflect a high presence of the measured construct.

Keywords

Adolescent Disclosure, Parent-Adolescent Communication, Parental Control, Parental Involvement, Family Dynamics, Psychological Scale, Parenting Style, Susan E. Purcell, Adolescent Substance Use.

Authors

Susan E. Purcell (Primary researcher/dissertation author who compiled and utilized these items), Barnes & Olson (Original Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale).

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Purpose

The primary purpose of developing and utilizing the Adolescent-Reported Parenting Items was to empirically analyze the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship across several critical dimensions and correlate these dimensions with significant adolescent outcomes. Specifically, the scale was intended to quantify factors that influence an adolescent’s willingness to share information with parents, a key protective factor against risky behaviors.

This instrument serves to provide a nuanced, self-reported assessment of the family environment, going beyond simple measures of warmth or conflict. It allows researchers to differentiate between various aspects of parenting, such as consistent rule enforcement versus inconsistent discipline, and open dialogue versus controlling communication patterns.

Construct

The scale measures a broad spectrum of parenting behaviors and relational dynamics, organized into distinct subscales. Items are scored such that reverse-scored items (marked with –R) are adjusted so that the mean score of the included items reflects a higher presence of the intended construct.

The major psychological constructs assessed include:

• Parent-Adolescent Communication: Derived largely from the 20-item Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1989). This domain separates into an Open Communication subscale (ease of discussion) and a Problem-Free Communication subscale (absence of negative interactions like insults or silent treatment).
• Adolescent Disclosure: This crucial subscale, consisting of six specific items, reflects the adolescent’s perceived willingness and comfort in openly sharing personal thoughts, feelings, and activities with their parents. This construct specifically addresses the adolescent’s ability to communicate without feeling restrained or embarrassed.
• Parental Autonomy-Granting and Indirect Control: This construct captures controlling behaviors that undermine the adolescent’s independence and critical thinking, such as parents insisting their ideas are unquestionable or dismissing the adolescent’s arguments with age-based superiority (“you’ll know better when you grow up”).
• Parental Involvement: Measures the degree of parental engagement across various facets of the adolescent’s life, including hobbies, school, and daily activities, reflecting perceived parental care and interest.
• Parental Inconsistency: Assesses the unpredictability of parental discipline and rule enforcement, focusing on behaviors like frequently changing rules, ignoring misbehavior, or inconsistent punishment.

Validity

The validity of the items, particularly those related to communication, is rooted in the established Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1989), providing a strong basis for content validity. The six items specifically chosen for the Adolescent Disclosure Scale in Purcell’s research were selected based on their strong face validity, meaning they directly and intuitively measure the concept of disclosure to parents.

Furthermore, the selection criteria for the disclosure items included similarity to measures used in other authoritative developmental studies (e.g., Crouter et al., 2005; Stattin & Kerr, 2000). This methodical approach ensures that the instrument aligns with accepted operational definitions of disclosure and parenting quality within developmental psychology research.

Reliability

The reliability of the composite instrument is generally inferred from the known psychometric properties of its constituent parts. Since many items originate from established measures, such as the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, those foundational elements are expected to exhibit sound internal consistency.

In the context of the 2007 dissertation, researchers would have calculated and reported specific reliability coefficients (e.g., Cronbach’s Alpha) for each of the derived subscales (Communication, Disclosure, Involvement, Control, and Inconsistency) to confirm the dependability of the scores generated within that specific study sample.

Factor Analysis

The organization of the Adolescent-Reported Parenting Items into distinct subscales strongly suggests that the underlying structure is multifactorial. The separation of items into categories like Involvement (supportive behavior) and Indirect Control (restrictive behavior) indicates that these constructs are theoretically and empirically distinct.

To substantiate this structure, researchers typically employ Exploratory or Confirmatory Factor Analysis to verify that the items load onto their intended factors (e.g., all items designed to measure Parental Inconsistency cluster together empirically). Such analysis is crucial for validating the use of the derived subscale scores in predicting outcomes like adolescent substance use.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Test (Questionnaire)

Format: Structured questionnaire using a standardized response scale (typically Likert-type, ranging from “never” to “always” or similar frequency/agreement metrics). The stem is standardized: “In the past three months…”

Language Available: English.

Population Group: Adolescents.

Age Group: Typically mid-to-late adolescence (approx. 12-18 years).

Population Details: Utilized in academic research focusing on the relationship between parenting variables and adolescent behavioral health outcomes.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to reflect on their interactions and their parents’ behaviors over a recent, specified period (three months) and respond to 37 specific statements regarding communication, control, involvement, and consistency.

Keywords

Adolescence, Communication Quality, Parenting Styles, Rule Enforcement, Substance Use, Psychological Control, Family Communication.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The specific compilation of items was utilized and documented in the doctoral dissertation by Susan E. Purcell, approved in 2007. The core Parent-Adolescent Communication items date back to 1989 (Barnes & Olson). The items are generally available for non-commercial academic research through the public availability of the dissertation.

The full dissertation, titled “THE PARENT-ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIP, ADOLESCENTS’ DISCLOSURE TO PARENTS, AND ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE,” is available from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The original PDF document detailing this research can be downloaded here: https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/indexablecontent?id=uuid:0c3d9bfb-96ea-4114-9670-4cbcf48511ee&ds=DATA_FILE.

Reference’s

• Purcell, S. E. (2007). THE PARENT-ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIP, ADOLESCENTS’ DISCLOSURE TO PARENTS, AND ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE. Doctoral dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Barnes, H. L., & Olson, D. H. (1989). Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale. In D. H. Olson, H. L. Barnes, H. A. Russell, & S. M. Larson (Eds.), Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. St. Paul: Family Social Science, University of Minnesota.
• Crouter, A. C., Head, M. R., & McHale, S. M. (2005). Parental monitoring and adolescent disclosure: The roles of parenting and familial factors.
• Soenens, B., Luyckx, K., Vansteenkiste, M., Luyten, P., & Goossens, L. (2006). The role of parental psychological control in the development of adolescent disclosure.
• Stattin, H., & Kerr, M. (2000). Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation.

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Items of the Adolescent-Reported Parenting Items

Items followed by a –R were reverse scored so that all scale scores (the mean of included items) reflect high scores in that construct. All items asked after the sentence stem, “In the past three months…”

Parent-Adolescent Communication (Items 1-20)

1. I could discuss my beliefs without feeling restrained or embarrassed.

2. Sometimes I had trouble believing everything my parents told me –R

3. My parents were always good listeners.

4. I was sometimes afraid to ask my parents for what I wanted –R

5. My parents had a tendency to say things to me which would have been better left unsaid. –R

6. My parents could tell how I was feeling without asking.

7. I was very satisfied with how my parents and I talked together.

8. If I was in trouble, I could have told my parents.

9. I openly showed affection to my parents.

10. When we were ha‎ving a problem, I often gave my parents the silent treatment. –R

11. I was careful about what I said to my parents. –R

12. When talking to my parents, I had a tendency to say things that would have been better left unsaid. –R

13. When I asked questions, I got honest answers from my parents.

14. My parents tried to understand my point of view.

15. There were topics I avoided discussing with my parents. –R

16. I found it easy to discuss problems with my parents.

17. It was very easy for me to express all my true feelings to my parents.

18. My parents nagged/bothered me. –R

19. My parents insulted me when they were angry with me. –R

20. I didn’t think I could tell my parents how I really felt about some things. –R

Parental Autonomy-Granting and Indirect Control (Items 21-24)

21. My parents told me that their ideas were correct and that I should not question them –R

22. My parents answered my arguments by saying something like “you’ll know better when you grow up” –R

23. My parents said I should give in on arguments rather than make people angry –R

24. My parents emphasized that I shouldn’t argue with adults –R

Parental Involvement (Items 25-27)

25. My parents were generally involved in different areas of my life

26. I knew my parents cared about the different activities I was involved in from day to day

27. My parents got involved with my hobbies (e.g., sports, artwork, clubs, church, 4-H, etc.).

Parental Inconsistency (Items 28-37)

28. My parents soon forgot the rules they had made. –R

29. My parents usually didn’t find out about my misbehavior. –R

30. My parents sometimes allowed me to do things they said were wrong. –R

31. My parents didn’t pay much attention to my misbehavior. –R

32. My parents frequently changed the rules I was supposed to follow. –R

33. My parents didn’t insist that I do my homework. –R

34. My parents punished me for doing something one day but ignored it the next. –R

35. My parents seldom insisted that I do anything. –R

36. My parents changed their minds to make things easier for themselves. –R

37. My parents let me get away without doing work I had been given to do. –R