Aggression Towards Parents—High Risk Behavioral Assessment

Abstract

The Aggression Towards Parents—High Risk Behavioral Assessment (ATP-HRBA) is a Psychological Scale designed to evaluate the frequency and context of aggressive behaviors within the family unit, specifically targeting youth. Administered through a one-on-one interview format, the assessment measures both the respondent’s own aggressive acts toward parents (shouting, cursing, hitting) and their exposure to similar behaviors among peers and from parents towards children. The scale aims to identify high levels of exposure to aggressive family behavior, which is crucial for early intervention and Violence Prevention programs targeting young people aged 8 to 18.

Keywords

Parental aggression, youth violence, high-risk behavior, family conflict, adolescent assessment, interview scale, Aggression towards parents, behavioral assessment.

Authors

Dolan S.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ATP-HRBA is to systematically quantify the prevalence and nature of aggressive interactions between youth and their parents. It serves as an early identification tool for assessing High-Risk Behavior patterns by gathering self-reported data on the respondent’s participation in aggressive acts, observation of peer aggression toward parents, and personal experience as a recipient of parental aggression.

Furthermore, the assessment includes items related to running away from home, positioning it as a tool to measure overall exposure to significant family disruption and conflict. The resulting score provides a quantitative measure of the youth’s level of exposure to or involvement in aggressive family dynamics.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of Familial Aggression Exposure and Participation. This construct encompasses various dimensions of high-risk behavior within the nuclear family environment. Key components include direct verbal and physical Aggression by the youth toward parents, vicarious exposure through peers, and experience with parental punitive aggression (shouting or hitting children).

The assessment utilizes frequency metrics (Rarely, Occasionally, Regularly) to gauge the severity and normalization of these behaviors, suggesting that a high score reflects a critical environment characterized by frequent, detrimental family interactions and potential behavioral crises, such as running away from home.

Validity

Specific details regarding the psychometric properties of validity (e.g., content validity, criterion validity, construct validity) were not provided in the source excerpt. As the instrument originated from a Doctoral Dissertation, it is presumed that initial validity studies were conducted as part of the developmental research, but these findings are not summarized here.

The face validity of the scale is high, as the items directly query observable and reportable behaviors related to aggression, conflict, and running away, which are direct indicators of the targeted High-Risk Behavior construct.

Reliability

Information concerning the reliability coefficients of the ATP-HRBA, such as internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability, is not available in the provided source material. Researchers intending to use this instrument should consult the original Doctoral Dissertation by Dolan S. (1989) for comprehensive reliability data.

Factor Analysis

No information regarding the results of an exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis for the Aggression Towards Parents—High Risk Behavioral Assessment is provided in the available excerpt. Factor analysis would typically be employed to confirm whether the items cluster into distinct subscales representing different dimensions of aggression or exposure (e.g., self-reported aggression vs. exposure to parental violence).

Instrument

Test Type: Behavioral Assessment Scale; High-Risk Screening Tool

Format: Structured Interview (One-on-one administration)

Language Available: English (implied)

Population Group: Youth and adolescents

Age Group: Students aged 8–18 years

Population Details: The scale is designed for students across a wide age range, focusing on behaviors relevant to family dynamics and peer influence regarding Aggression and conflict.

Test Methodology: The assessment utilizes a mixed-format approach. Initial screening questions (the “A” items) require a Yes/No response. If the response is “Yes,” follow-up questions (the “B” or “C” items) assess frequency using a three-point scale: Rarely (1-3/year), Occasionally (1-2/month), or Regularly (daily or 1-2/week). Open-ended questions are included for qualitative data but are not formally scored. The scored items are summed based on assigned point values (Rarely=1, Occasionally=2, Regularly=3), yielding a quantitative measure of exposure to aggressive family behavior. A high score indicates a high level of exposure.

Keywords

Child development, familial violence, youth risk assessment, behavioral scoring, Violence Prevention, parent-child relations, high-risk youth.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1989 (Based on the Doctoral Dissertation completion date).

Permissions & Fee: Permissions and fee information are not specified in the provided excerpt. The instrument was published within a CDC compendium, suggesting it may be available for non-commercial research use, but users should verify licensing requirements with the author or institution.

The original PDF of the compendium, which contains the full instrument on pages 191-192, can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Reference’s

Dolan S. Doctoral Dissertation. Chicago‚ IL: University of Chicago‚ Department of Psychology‚ 1989.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes‚ Behaviors‚ and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Violence Prevention Division. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf (Instrument found on pages 191-192).

Items of the Aggression Towards Parents—High Risk Behavioral Assessment

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

1. A. Do you know of kids who shout or curse at their parents? ■ Yes ■ No
B. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
2. A. Have any of your friends shouted‚ cursed‚ or hit their parents? ■ Yes ■ No
B. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
3. Why do you think your friends strike out at their parents?
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4. A. Have you ever shouted‚ cursed‚ or hit your parents? ■ Yes ■ No
B. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
C. Why did you shout‚ curse‚ or hit your parents?
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5. A. Why do you think parents shout or hit their children?
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B. Do you know of any adults who hit or yell at their children? ■ Yes ■ No
C. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
6. A. Have any of your friend’s parents hit or yelled at their children? ■ Yes ■ No
B. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
7. Why do you think some kids run away from home?
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B. Do you know of any kids who have run away from home? ■ Yes ■ No
C. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
8. A. Have any of your friends run away from home? ■ Yes ■ No
B. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
9. A. Have you ever run away from home? ■ Yes ■ No
B. How often? Rarely(1-3/year)‚ Occasionally(1-2/month)‚ Regularly (daily or 1-2/week)
C. Why did you run away from home?
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