Conflict Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ)

Abstract

The Conflict Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) is a widely recognized and standardized psychometric assessment tool utilized by researchers and clinicians to objectively quantify the presence and degree of conflict behaviors exhibited by individuals and groups. It is particularly effective in examining interaction dynamics within complex settings, most notably in family systems and parent-adolescent relationships. The theoretical foundation of the CBQ lies in the Conflict Resolution Model (CRM), which delineates four key behavioral styles: avoidance, competition, compromise, and collaboration. The consistent demonstration of its strong validity and reliability has established the CBQ as a crucial instrument for collecting objective data on interpersonal conflict levels.

Keywords

Conflict Behavior Questionnaire, CBQ, Conflict Resolution Model, Parent-Adolescent Conflict, Behavioral Assessment, Interpersonal Conflict, Conflict Styles, Family Systems, Dyadic Assessment.

Authors

Robert J. Prinz, Steven L. Foster, Richard N. Kent, K. D. O’Leary, Arnold L. Robin.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CBQ is the objective measurement of both the frequency and qualitative type of conflict behaviors displayed by participants within dyadic or group contexts. By providing quantifiable metrics, the instrument allows for a detailed evaluation of interpersonal communication patterns, especially those contributing to relationship distress and dysfunction.

The scale is extensively employed in clinical and research environments focusing on family dynamics, particularly those involving parent-adolescent dyads. In these settings, the CBQ serves a vital function in assessing the baseline level of conflict, tracking changes over time, and evaluating the overall effectiveness of behavioral family interventions and conflict resolution training programs. Its efficient administration provides immediate, actionable data on relational conflict.

Construct

The CBQ is structured around the theoretical framework of the Conflict Resolution Model (CRM). This model posits that individuals adopt distinct and measurable behavioral styles when faced with disagreements. The questionnaire moves beyond simple frequency counts of arguments, instead focusing on capturing the qualitative differences in how interactions are managed.

The instrument measures the degree of engagement across four primary conflict behavior types, providing a comprehensive profile of the respondent’s approach to conflict management:

• Avoidance: Characterized by passive strategies, including withdrawing from the situation, ignoring the conflict, or deflecting discussion to prevent open disagreement.
• Competition: Involves confrontational and highly assertive behaviors, where the individual seeks to dominate the outcome, often prioritizing personal needs over the needs or feelings of the other party.
• Compromise: Represents middle-ground strategies where both parties make mutual concessions, resulting in a partially satisfactory outcome for all involved.
• Collaboration: These are integrative and cooperative strategies focused on finding optimal, mutually beneficial solutions that fully address the concerns of both individuals involved in the disagreement.

Validity

The CBQ holds strong recognition within behavioral and family systems literature as a highly valid assessment tool. A key feature supporting its validity is the use of parallel versions for both parents and adolescents, which is essential for capturing differential perceptions of the same conflict events, thereby enhancing both ecological and perspective validity.

Empirical research has repeatedly demonstrated the CBQ’s criterion validity by successfully differentiating between clinically distressed and non-distressed parent-adolescent dyads. This confirms the scale’s robust ability to measure the specific, relevant behavioral constructs associated with conflict intensity and resolution quality within interpersonal relationships.

Reliability

Across various research and clinical applications, the CBQ has consistently exhibited strong measurement reliability. This consistency is a critical requirement for any instrument used in longitudinal studies or clinical settings, ensuring that any observed changes in scores accurately reflect genuine underlying shifts in conflict behavior rather than measurement error.

The instrument’s straightforward structure, utilizing a dichotomous True/False response format, contributes significantly to its high inter-rater reliability. This format simplifies scoring and interpretation, ensuring consistency across different administrators and research sites.

Factor Analysis

Although specific, detailed factor analysis tables are not provided in the foundational literature, the development of the CBQ was firmly anchored in a multivariate assessment approach, as established by Prinz and colleagues in their original 1979 work. This foundational psychometric strategy inherently supports the existence of distinct latent factors.

These theoretical factors correspond directly to the four core behavioral dimensions outlined by the Conflict Resolution Model: avoidance, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Subsequent psychometric validation studies have successfully confirmed that the clusters of items within the questionnaire reliably load onto these hypothesized theoretical dimensions, thereby validating the CBQ’s capability to profile specific, distinct conflict styles.

Instrument

Test Type: Behavioral Psychometric Assessment / Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: 20 items per version (Parent, Adolescent-Mother, Adolescent-Father), administered using a dichotomous True/False response scale.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Individuals, Groups, and Dyads (primarily Parent-Adolescent)

Age Group: Adolescents and Parents (typically targeting teenagers and their caregivers).

Population Details: Applicable in diverse settings, including clinical psychology, behavioral therapy, family counseling, organizational development, and educational research, wherever the measurement of conflict resolution strategies is required.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate whether the provided statement is True or False regarding their relationship interactions. Scoring involves assigning points to responses indicative of high conflict or negative interaction patterns, which are then summed to yield a total conflict behavior score.

Keywords

Conflict management, Family relations, Adolescent behavior, Dyadic assessment, Conflict style, Behavioral analysis, Intervention assessment, Communication skills.

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 initial version of the CBQ was developed and published in academic literature in 1979 by Prinz and colleagues, marking the foundational assessment of conflict in parent-adolescent dyads. Subsequent influential applications and refinements were documented in 1989 by Robin and Foster.

The instrument is extensively utilized for non-commercial research and training purposes globally. Specific commercial licensing details or associated fees are typically determined by the original copyright holders. The scale items are frequently reproduced in academic contexts for research validation.

The original PDF of the instrument can be downloaded here: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=57986&p=0

A related PDF source discussing the multivariate assessment of conflict is available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1311489/pdf/jaba00107-0206.pdf

Reference’s

• Hayes‚ L. L. (2004). Parental monitoring: Modeling parent-adolescent interactions. World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 2004 (WCBCT2004)‚ Kobe‚ Japan.
• Hayes‚ L. L.‚ Hudson‚ A.‚ & Matthews‚ J. (2003). Parental monitoring: A process model of parent-adolescent interaction. Behaviour Change‚ 20(1)‚ 13-24.
• Hayes‚ L. L.‚ Hudson‚ A.‚ & Matthews‚ J. (2004). Parental monitoring behaviors: A model of rules‚ supervision‚ and conflict. Behavior Therapy‚ 35(3)‚ 587-604.
• Hayes‚ L.‚ Hudson‚ A.‚ & Matthews‚ J. (2002). A process model of parental monitoring. Presented at the 3rd International Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health‚ Brisbane‚ Australia.
• Hayes‚ Louise . (2004). Parental monitoring of adolescent free time : a theoretical model of parent-adolescent interactions. RMIT University. Doctoral thesis.
• Prinz‚ R.‚ Foster‚ S.‚ Kent‚ R.‚ and KD‚ O. L. (1979). Multivariate assessment of conflict in distressed and nondistressed parent-adolescent dyads. J Appl Behav Anal 12‚ 691-700.
• Robin‚ A. L. & Foster‚ S. L. (1989). Negotiating parent-adolescent conflict: A behavioral-family systems approach. New York: Guilford Press.
• Wade‚ S.‚ Walz‚ N.‚ Carey‚ J.‚ and Williams‚ K. (2008). Preliminary efficacy of a web-based family problem solving treatment program for adolescents with traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil 23‚ 369-377.

Items of the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ)

Conflict Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ) — Parent

1. My teenager is easy to get along with.
2. My teenager is receptive to criticism.
3. My teenager is well behaved in our discussions.
4. For the most part‚ my teenager likes to talk to me.
5. We almost never seem to agree.
6. My teenager usually listens to what I tell him/her.
7. At least three time a week‚ we get angry at each other.
8. My teenager says that I have no consideration of his/her feelings.
9. My teenager and I compromise during arguments.
10. My teenager often doesn’t do what I ask.
11. The talks we have are frustrating.
12. My teenager often seems angry at me.
13. My teenager acts impatient when I talk.
14. In general‚ I don’t think we get along very well.
15. My teenager almost never understands my side of an argument.
16. My teenager and I have big argument about little things.
17. My teenager is defensive when I talk to him or her.
18. My teenager thinks my opinions don’t count.
19. We argue a lot about rules.
20. My teenager tells me s/he thinks I am unfair.

Conflict Behaviour Questionnaire — Adolescent to complete (for Mother)

1. My mum doesn’t understand me.
2. My mum and I sometimes end our arguments calmly.
3. My mum understands me.
4. We almost never seem to agree.
5. I enjoy the talks we have.
6. When I state my own opinion‚ she gets upset.
7. At least three times a week‚ we get angry at each other.
8. My mother listens when I need someone to talk to.
9. My mum is a good friend to me.
10. She says I have no consideration for her.
11. At least once a day‚ we get angry at each other.
12. My mother is bossy when we talk.
13. The talks we have are frustrating.
14. My mum understands my point of view‚ even when she doesn’t agree with me.
15. My mum always seems to be complaining about me.
16. In general‚ I don’t think we get along very well.
17. My mum screams a lot.
18. My mum puts me down.
19. If I run into problems‚ my mum helps me out.
20. I enjoy spending time with my mother.

Conflict Behaviour Questionnaire — Adolescent to complete (for Father)

1. My dad doesn’t understand me.
2. My dad and I sometimes end our arguments calmly.
3. My dad understands me.
4. We almost never seem to agree.
5. I enjoy the talks we have.
6. When I state my own opinion‚ he gets upset.
7. At least three times a week‚ we get angry at each other.
8. My father listens when I need someone to talk to.
9. My dad is a good friend to me.
10. He says I have no consideration for him.
11. At least once a day‚ we get angry at each other.
12. My father is bossy when we talk.
13. The talks we have are frustrating.
14. My dad understands my point of view‚ even when he doesn’t agree with me.
15. My dad always seems to be complaining about me.
16. In general‚ I don’t think we get along very well.
17. My dad screams a lot.
18. My dad puts me down.
19. If I run into problems‚ my dad helps me out.
20. I enjoy spending time with my father.

Scoring Key (True/False)

1. Parent version:
1. Add one point for each true: 5‚ 7‚ 8‚ 10‚ 11‚ 12‚ 13‚ 14‚ 15‚ 16‚ 17‚ 18‚ 19‚ and 20
2. Add one point for each false: 1‚ 2‚ 3‚ 4‚ 6‚ and 9
2. Adolescent version:
1. Add one point for each true: 1‚ 4‚ 6‚ 7‚ 10‚ 11‚ 12‚ 13‚ 15‚ 16‚ 17‚ and 18
2. Add one point for each false: 2‚ 3‚ 5‚ 8‚ 9‚ 14‚ 19‚ and 20