Parental Attitudes Toward Use of Aggression Scale

Abstract

The Parental Attitudes Toward Use of Aggression scale (PATU) is a critical self-report Psychological Scale developed to systematically quantify the degree to which parents endorse the use of physical force or aggression as an acceptable and effective strategy for child discipline. Originating from research conducted by Kenneth A. Dodge, Gregory S. Pettit, and John E. Bates at the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1990s, the PATU provides valuable insight into the cognitive foundations of potentially harsh or coercive parenting practices. The instrument typically comprises 20 items, utilizing a 7-point Likert Scale format. Empirical findings consistently demonstrate that elevated scores on the PATU are strongly correlated with a greater acceptance of physical aggression and a heightened likelihood of parents employing aggressive disciplinary tactics in real-world settings.

Keywords

Parental Attitudes, Physical Aggression, Child Discipline, Child Conduct Problems, Socialization, Psychometrics, Child Development, Parenting Practices, Corporal Punishment.

Authors

Kenneth A. Dodge, Gregory S. Pettit, John E. Bates.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PATU scale is to provide a precise measurement of explicit parental attitudes concerning the acceptability, justification, and perceived efficacy of employing physical aggression as a method of child discipline. By assessing these deeply held beliefs, the instrument allows researchers and clinicians to gauge a parent’s underlying conviction regarding the use of corporal punishment and aggressive responses when managing child misbehavior.

Furthermore, the scale serves an essential predictive function. Studies have consistently indicated that parents who achieve higher scores on the PATU are significantly more likely to translate these attitudes into actual parenting behaviors involving physical aggression. Consequently, the PATU is a crucial tool for identifying families and caregivers who may be at elevated risk of relying on coercive, harsh, or harmful disciplinary strategies, enabling targeted prevention and intervention efforts.

Construct

The PATU measures the latent psychological construct known as Parental Acceptance of Aggression. This construct is conceptually defined as the extent to which a caregiver believes that the application of physical force, aggressive verbal responses, or general acceptance of violence is justified, necessary, or ultimately beneficial for resolving conflicts, establishing behavioral control, and achieving effective child socialization.

The scale items are designed to capture multiple interconnected facets of this construct. These facets include explicit attitudes toward physical punishment (such as hitting or spanking), approval of aggressive self-defense mechanisms in children, acceptance of violence exposure through media, and specific beliefs regarding protective measures (e.g., owning firearms). The construct is theorized to function as a crucial socialization mediator, helping to explain how broader socio-environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status, influence the development and manifestation of specific child conduct problems.

Validity

The original research underpinning the PATU confirmed its standing as a valid measure of parental attitudes toward the use of physical aggression. While specific, detailed validity coefficients—such as metrics for convergent or discriminant validity—are not explicitly listed in the source material, the scale demonstrated substantial predictive validity. This is the most critical validity metric for the PATU, as scores were shown to be consistently and strongly associated with the actual likelihood of parents utilizing physical aggression when disciplining their children. This predictive strength underscores the instrument’s utility in research and clinical assessment settings.

Reliability

Through its rigorous development process and initial applications, the PATU was established as a reliable measure of parental attitudes toward aggression. Reliability indicates that the instrument yields consistent results, whether administered repeatedly over time or across different samples of parents. Although the specific internal consistency statistics, such as Cronbach’s alpha values, are not provided in the source documentation, the scale’s sustained and widespread use in prominent longitudinal and cross-sectional child development research studies provides strong evidence supporting its overall psychometric soundness and stability.

Factor Analysis

Although a detailed, formal report on the complete factor structure is not provided in the source content, the scale items conceptually appear to load onto distinct, yet highly correlated, dimensions of aggression acceptance. Initial conceptual groupings suggested during development imply at least a two-factor structure. These factors relate to a general Attitude toward the use of aggression and more specific beliefs concerning the endorsement of Hitting or physical force. This structural distinction captures both the general tolerance for violence in the child’s environment and the specific acceptance of physical disciplinary measures.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire / Psychological Assessment Scale

Format: The scale consists of 20 items (a sample of 10 items is provided below). Responses are recorded using a 7-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original development language).

Population Group: Parents or primary caregivers.

Age Group: Adults (Parents/Caregivers) of children.

Population Details: The instrument has been used across various socioeconomic strata to assess socialization mediators that contribute to child conduct problems and adjustment difficulties.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to rate their level of agreement with each statement using the 7-point scale, where 1 signifies “Definitely disagree,” 4 signifies “Neutral,” and 7 signifies “Definitely agree.” Items 3, 7, 8, and 10 are designated as reverse-coded to control for response bias. The total score is typically calculated by summing the point values for all 20 items and then dividing by the total number of items. Higher resultant scores are interpreted as indicating a greater acceptance of using aggression for problem-solving and disciplinary purposes.

Keywords

PATU, Parental Beliefs, Child Rearing, Violence Prevention, Self-report measure, University of Pittsburgh, Corporal Punishment, Coercive Parenting.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence regarding the scale should likely be routed through the primary authors’ affiliation at the University of Pittsburgh, where the research was conducted around the time of the primary publication (1994).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1994 (Based on the primary publication detailing its use).

Permissions/Fee: The PATU instrument and its scoring details are included in a publicly available government compendium published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This suggests that its use for non-commercial research and clinical purposes may be permissive. However, formal permission for large-scale application, commercial use, or modification should ideally be sought from the original authors: Dodge, Pettit, and Bates. The original PDF compendium containing the scale and scoring details can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Reference’s

• Dodge KA, Pettit GS, Bates JE. Socialization mediators of the relation between socioeconomic status and child conduct problems. Child Development 1994;65:649-665.

• Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Source document for scale availability).

Items of the Parental Attitudes Toward Use of Aggression Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

For each item‚ decide whether you agree or disagree‚ then choose a number between 1 and 7 using the following scale.

1. I let my child watch adventure television shows that have killing and violence in them.

2. If my child were teased by other kids at school‚ I would want my child to defend himself/herself even if itmeant hitting another child.

3. When my child does something wrong‚ talking about it with him/her helps more than spanking.

4. If my child gets into a fight with another child‚ I won’t try to stop it because my child has to show thatshe/he can defend herself/himself.

5. It is important to keep a gun at home to protect the family.

6. Sometimes a physical fight might help my child have a better relationship with other children.

7. It would bother me if my child saw one adult hit another in real life.

8. If I found out my child hit another child‚ I would be very disappointed‚ no matter what the reason.

9. I wouldn’t mind if my child got a reputation as the “toughest” kid in school.

10. I believe that television violence has a bad effect on children.