Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire Modified Version

Abstract

The Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire Modified Version (AAQ-MV), developed by Maxey and colleagues in 2024, is a specialized 7-item instrument designed to assess behavioral and emotional autonomy in adolescents, particularly focusing on participants with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). This measure is an important adaptation of the original Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire (AAQ; Noom et al., 2001), which was initially validated for typically developing youth. The modification process aimed to ensure suitability and relevance for the IDD population through item reduction and language simplification.

The resulting scale was evaluated using samples of both neurotypical and IDD adolescents in the United States, with subsequent reporting of factor structure and internal consistency reliability. The AAQ-MV serves as a crucial tool for measuring psychosocial development in a population traditionally overlooked by standard assessment instruments.

Keywords

Adolescents, Behavioral Autonomy, Emotional Autonomy, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Modified Version, Psychosocial Development, Developmental Disabilities, Test Revision, Youth Mental Health.

Authors

Maxey, Myles, Beckert, Troy E., Meter, Diana, Landon, Trenton.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the AAQ-MV is to fill a critical gap in psychological assessment literature by providing a refined and appropriate instrument for measuring psychosocial development in adolescents diagnosed with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Prior to this modification, comprehensive and validated measures of autonomy were largely absent or inadequate for this specific population group.

The instrument provides valuable clinical and research data regarding the transition toward independence, focusing specifically on the differentiation between emotional and behavioral aspects of autonomy during adolescence, thereby facilitating a more nuanced understanding of developmental trajectories in IDD populations.

Construct

The AAQ-MV measures two primary components of adolescent transition: Behavioral Autonomy and Emotional Autonomy. While the broader construct addressed by the scale development is the measurement of Psychosocial development in the context of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the specific measurable facets are these two distinct types of autonomy.

Behavioral Autonomy relates to the adolescent’s ability to make independent decisions, manage daily responsibilities, and act autonomously. Emotional Autonomy, conversely, pertains to the individual’s psychological separation from parental figures, the development of an independent sense of self, and the establishment of non-dependent relationships.

Validity

The source documentation does not explicitly report traditional measures of concurrent, predictive, or discriminant validity for the AAQ-MV. However, the rigorous process of scale adaptation from the original AAQ and the subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) suggest a strong focus on achieving structural validity. This process ensured that the adapted items accurately mapped onto the intended underlying dimensions (Behavioral and Emotional Autonomy) within the IDD population, which is crucial for establishing the measure’s appropriateness.

Reliability

Reliability of the AAQ-MV was assessed using internal consistency measures across both the neurotypical and IDD adolescent samples. Internal consistency, calculated via Cronbach’s alpha, indicated acceptable to moderate homogeneity among the items within the subscales.

• For the IDD and neurotypical groups combined, Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .62 to .71.
• These values are generally considered acceptable for newly developed or modified instruments targeting clinical populations, reflecting the scale’s capacity to consistently measure the intended constructs across the diverse adolescent sample.

Factor Analysis

The psychometric evaluation of the AAQ-MV utilized Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to test the hypothesized two-factor structure (Behavioral and Emotional Autonomy) in the sample of adolescents with IDD. This analysis was critical for confirming the structural integrity of the modified instrument for this specific population.

The analysis required specific modifications to achieve optimal model fit for the IDD group:

• Behavioral Autonomy: After the removal of one item, the model for adolescents with IDD demonstrated a strong fit to the data, evidenced by robust fit indices. Key results included χ2(2) = 0.685, p = .7099; RMSEA = 0.000 (95% CI = [0.000, 0.114]); CFI = 1.000; TLI = 1.000; and SRMR = 0.011.
• Emotional Autonomy: Two items were removed from this subscale. The resulting model for adolescents with IDD also showed a good fit, supported by favorable information criteria (AIC was 1465.717 and BIC was 1493.449), confirming the distinct structure of the modified scale.

Instrument

Test Type: Original (Modified Version of an existing instrument)

Format: Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all descriptive of me) to 5 (very descriptive of me). Scores are typically summed within subscales and then averaged across subscales to yield distinct autonomy scores for emotional and behavioral autonomy.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Adolescents

Population Details: The evaluation sample included respondents from the United States, specifically comprising adolescents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and a comparison group of neurotypical adolescents.

Test Methodology: Inventory/Questionnaire administered electronically.

Keywords

Autonomy, Likert scale, Mental Health Assessment, Developmental Disabilities, Psychometrics, CFA, IDD.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Corresponding Author)

Correspondence Address: Beckert, Troy E.: Utah State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Logan, Utah, United States.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The scale is non-commercial. Permissions for use must be obtained by contacting the Corresponding Author, Troy E. Beckert, via the provided correspondence email address.

Fee: No fee is associated with the instrument itself.

Test Year: 2024

Reference’s

Maxey, M., Beckert, T. E., Meter, D., & Landon, T. (2024). Psychosocial development measures modification for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Adolescence, 96(1), 136–151. DOI: 10.1002/jad.12262

Noom, M. J., Deković, M., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2001). Autonomy and attachment revisited: A study of the relation between adolescent autonomy, attachment and different aspects of well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(2), 227–254. (Original scale source)

Items of the Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire Modified Version

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

The specific items for the 7-item Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire Modified Version were not provided in the source content table.