Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS)

Abstract

The Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS) is a widely utilized psychological scale designed to measure the perceived quality of communication within the parent-adolescent dyad. Developed by Barnes and Olson in 1982, the instrument provides parallel forms for both parents and adolescents, allowing for a comprehensive, dyadic assessment of relational dynamics. The scale specifically focuses on two primary dimensions: the level of positive, open communication (Degree of Openness) and the extent of negative or dysfunctional communication patterns (Extent of Problems). The PACS is a foundational tool in family research, offering quantifiable metrics for evaluating intervention effectiveness and understanding normal developmental challenges in parent-adolescent communication.

Keywords

Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, PACS, family dynamics, adolescence, communication quality, relational assessment, psychometrics, openness, conflict.

Authors

Howard L. Barnes, David H. Olson

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS) is to provide researchers and clinicians with a reliable and valid measure of the subjective experience of communication between parents and their adolescent children. It was developed as part of a larger set of family inventories used in national surveys exploring family life cycles and relational health. The scale aims to capture the bidirectional nature of family interactions, assessing how effectively information, feelings, and beliefs are transmitted and received by both parties.

By separating the assessment into two distinct forms—one for the parent and one for the adolescent—the PACS allows for the identification of discrepancies in perception regarding the quality of their relationship. Such discrepancies are critical for understanding family distress, as perceived communication problems often correlate highly with overall family satisfaction and adolescent adjustment outcomes.

Construct

The PACS measures the construct of perceived parent-adolescent communication quality, which is operationalized through two distinct, orthogonal subscales:

• Degree of Openness: This subscale captures positive aspects of communication, including empathy, trust, mutual understanding, ease of expression, and willingness to share beliefs. High scores on this subscale indicate effective, supportive, and satisfying communication patterns.
• Extent of Problems: This subscale measures negative or dysfunctional communication behaviors, such as avoidance, defensiveness, verbal aggression (insults/nagging), difficulty trusting, and using the silent treatment. High scores on this subscale indicate significant conflict and barriers to effective communication.

The instrument conceptualizes communication not merely as the frequency of talk, but rather the emotional and structural quality of the interaction, making it a robust measure for studying family functioning and dynamics.

Validity

While specific detailed validity studies were not provided in the source content, the PACS has demonstrated strong face validity and content validity due to its reliance on observable and reported communication behaviors central to family relationships. Since its publication, the PACS has been extensively used in empirical research, supporting its construct validity across diverse samples, often showing expected correlations with measures of family cohesion, adolescent adjustment, and parental satisfaction. The two-factor structure consistently emerges in subsequent analyses, further supporting the theoretical division between positive (openness) and negative (problems) communication dimensions.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the scores derived from the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale is reported to be strong, suggesting that the items within each subscale reliably measure their respective constructs. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha, a standard measure in psychometrics:

• The internal consistency for the Openness Subscale was reported as 0.87.
• The internal consistency for the Problems Subscale was reported as 0.78.

These values meet or exceed common thresholds for acceptable reliability in psychological research, indicating a high degree of confidence in the consistency of the measurement.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the PACS is based on a two-factor model, corresponding to the two main subscales: Degree of Openness and Extent of Problems. This structure was derived empirically and has been consistently supported through subsequent factor analyses in various populations, confirming that positive and negative aspects of parent-adolescent communication function as separable, though related, dimensions. The items are specifically allocated to these two factors, guiding scoring and interpretation.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale (Dyadic Assessment)

Format: 20 items per form (Adolescent Form and Parent Form), utilizing a 5-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: Originally English; translated versions are widely available in research, including Spanish as featured in the referenced compendium.

Population Group: Parents and their adolescent children.

Age Group: Adolescents (typically 12-18 years old) and their biological or custodial parents.

Population Details: Originally validated using a large national sample of families in the United States across the family life cycle. It has since been used globally with diverse populations.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their agreement with statements regarding their interactions with the other family member. The scoring involves summing item scores for the two distinct subscales: Degree of Openness (positive items, often reverse-scored) and Extent of Problems (negative items).

Keywords

Family inventories, relational measure, parent-child relationship, communication skills, family therapy, research instrument, adolescent behavior, psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: St. Paul: Family Social Science, University of Minnesota (Based on original publication).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale was first published in 1982. As a widely utilized scale often found in academic texts and compendiums, it is generally available for non-commercial research and educational use, though users should always consult the original authors or publishers for specific permissions.

The instrument, including scoring details, can be found on pages 67-69 of “Latino Families and Youth: A Compendium of Assessment Tools.” The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=23171&Itemid

Reference’s

Barnes, H. L., & Olson, D. H. (1982). Parent-adolescent communication scale. In D. H. Olson, H. I. McCubbin, H. Barnes, A. Larsen, M. Muxen and M. Wilson (Eds.), Family inventories: Inventories used in a national survey of families across the family life-cycle (pp. 33-48). St. Paul: Family Social Science, University of Minnesota.

Items of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS)

The PACS utilizes a 5-point Likert scale for response, where:

• 1 = Strongly disagree
• 2 = Moderately disagree
• 3 = Neither agree nor disagree
• 4 = Moderately agree
• 5 = Strongly agree

Adolescent Form:

1. I can discuss my beliefs with my mother/father without feeling restrained or embarrassed.
2. Sometimes I have trouble believing everything my mother/father tells me.
3. My mother/father is always a good listener.
4. I am sometimes afraid to ask my mother/father for what I want.
5. My mother/father has a tendency to say things to me that would be better left unsaid.
6. My mother/father can tell how I’m feeling without asking.
7. I am very satisfied with how my mother/father and I talk together.
8. If I were in trouble‚ I could tell my mother/father.
9. I openly show affection to my mother/father.
10. When we are ha‎ving a problem‚ I often give my mother/father the silent treatment.
11. I am careful about what I say to my mother/father.
12. When talking to my mother/father‚ I have a tendency to say things that would be better left unsaid.
13. When I ask questions‚ I get honest answers from my mother/father.
14. My mother/father tries to understand my point of view.
15. There are topics I avoid discussing with my mother/father.
16. I find it easy to discuss problems with my mother/father.
17. It is very easy for me to express all my true feelings to my mother/father.
18. My mother/father nags/bothers me.
19. My mother/father insults me when s/he is angry with me.
20. I don’t think I can tell my mother/father how I really feel about some things.

Scoring Allocation (Adolescent Form):

Degree of openness: Items 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17

Extent of problems: Items 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 20

Parent Form:

1. I can discuss my beliefs with my child without feeling restrained or embarrassed.
2. Sometimes I have trouble believing everything my child tells me.
3. My child is always a good listener.
4. I am sometimes afraid to ask my child for what I want.
5. My child has a tendency to say things to me that would be better left unsaid.
6. My child can tell how I’m feeling without asking.
7. I am very satisfied with how my child and I talk together.
8. If I were in trouble‚ I could tell my child.
9. I openly show affection to my child.
10. When we are ha‎ving a problem‚ I often give my child the silent treatment.
11. I am careful about what I say to my child.
12. When talking with my child‚ I have a tendency to say things that would be better left unsaid.
13. When I ask questions‚ I get honest answers from my child.
14. My child tries to understand my point of view.
15. There are topics I avoid discussing with my child.
16. I find it easy to discuss problems with my child.
17. It is very easy for me to express all my true feelings to my child.
18. My child nags/bothers me.
19. My child insults me when s/he is angry with me.
20. I don’t think I can tell my child how I really feel about some things.

Scoring Allocation (Parent Form):

Degree of openness: Items 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17

Extent of problems: Items 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 20