Consistency of Discipline — Rochester Youth Development Study

Abstract

The Consistency of Discipline scale, developed as part of the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), is a psychometric instrument designed to assess the predictability and efficacy of parental disciplinary actions. It provides a dual perspective by collecting data from both the parent and the adolescent regarding how consistently rules are enforced, whether punishments are effective, and the extent to which youth can avoid consequences. This measure is crucial for research examining the link between family dynamics and adolescent behavioral outcomes, particularly those related to criminology and delinquency.

Keywords

Consistency of Discipline, Rochester Youth Development Study, RYDS, Parenting, Adolescent Behavior, Delinquency, Punishment, Family Dynamics, Parental Monitoring.

Authors

While the scale is derived from the longitudinal Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), key researchers who published work utilizing or validating this instrument include S. B. Stern, C. A. Smith, S. J. Jang, T. P. Thornberry, A. J. Lizotte, M. D. Krohn, and M. Farnworth.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the scale is to quantitatively assess the consistency and effectiveness of parental disciplinary practices. Inconsistent discipline is a well-documented predictor of negative youth outcomes, such as behavioral problems and increased risk for delinquency. The instrument provides researchers with a critical measure of family management practices.

By collecting responses from both parents and adolescents separately, the scale allows for the comparison of perceived disciplinary environments, identifying discrepancies that may be relevant to family functioning and adolescent adjustment. The ultimate goal is to generate a metric that reflects the stability and reliability of the child’s behavioral boundaries.

Construct

The scale is designed to measure the specific construct of Consistency of Discipline, a key component within the broader domain of Family Management Practices and Parenting styles. This construct captures the extent to which rules, expectations, and consequences are applied reliably across different situations and times.

Items assess several critical dimensions, including parental persistence (not giving up when challenged), the perceived success of punishment, and the youth’s ability to negotiate or evade disciplinary outcomes. High consistency is generally associated with authoritative parenting and better behavioral regulation in adolescents.

Validity

The validity of the Consistency of Discipline scale is primarily established through its inclusion in the longitudinal Rochester Youth Development Study, a major program focused on risk factors for violence and delinquency. The measure demonstrates face validity by directly addressing key indicators of parental control and follow-through.

Construct validity is supported by its consistent use in studies linking parental inconsistency to negative outcomes, such as increased adolescent delinquency (as evidenced by the provided references, Thornberry et al., 1991). Further empirical validation details, including specific correlations with related constructs, are available in the primary research papers stemming from the RYDS.

Reliability

Although specific internal consistency coefficients (e.g., Cronbach’s Alpha) are not detailed in the compendium entry, the scale is derived from rigorous longitudinal research, suggesting established reliability within the RYDS framework. Researchers utilizing this instrument typically report acceptable levels of reliability, ensuring that the measure consistently captures the intended construct of parental consistency.

Factor Analysis

The Consistency of Discipline scale appears to be utilized as a single, combined factor representing overall disciplinary consistency, calculated by averaging the response items. Given that the parent and youth items are scored separately, it suggests a two-factor structure based on rater perspective rather than distinct underlying dimensions of discipline. Detailed confirmatory factor analysis results would need to be consulted in the specific methodology sections of the primary academic articles (e.g., Stern et al., 1999).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory (Dual perspective: Parent form and Youth form)

Format: Frequency-based Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (Never/Just like) to 4 (Often).

Language Available: English

Population Group: Parents and adolescents

Age Group: Youth (Adolescents) and their respective parents, typically studied during middle and high school years.

Population Details: Originally administered to urban families participating in the Rochester Youth Development Study, focusing on populations relevant to studies of crime and behavioral outcomes.

Test Methodology: Items are scored using a 4-point scale (Often=4, Sometimes=3, Seldom=2, Never Just like=1). Parent and youth scores are calculated separately by summing the point values and dividing by the total number of items (7 for parents; 5 for youth). Intended score ranges are 1 to 4 (parent) and 1 to 4.2 (youth). Higher scores indicate greater consistency and effectiveness in discipline.

Keywords

Parental control, Inconsistent punishment, Family environment, Developmental criminology, Psychometrics, Adolescent risk behavior, Longitudinal study.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in the source documentation.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in the source documentation.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed through the primary investigators of the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), such as Terence P. Thornberry (State University of New York at Albany).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and utilized in research dating back to at least 1991 (Thornberry et al.) and 1999 (Stern et al.). As the instrument is publicly available in the CDC’s compendium of assessment tools, it is typically considered available for non-commercial academic and research use, though researchers should cite the original RYDS publications.

The original PDF compendium where this instrument is located can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Reference’s

• Stern, S. B., Smith, C. A., & Jang, S. J. (1999). Urban families and adolescent mental health. Social Work Research, 23(1).

• Thornberry, T. P., Lizotte, A. J., Krohn, M. D., Farnworth, M., & Jang, S. J. (1991). Testing interactional theory: An examination of reciprocal-causal relationships among family, school, and delinquency. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 82, 3-35.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. The Consistency of Discipline instrument appears on pages 284-285.

Items of the Consistency of Discipline —Rochester Youth Development Study

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

Parent Items

1. How often do you give up when you ask your child to do something and he/she doesn’t do it?
2. How often does your child get away with things?
3. When your child is punished‚ how often does the punishment work?
4. How often do you feel that you can correct your children’s behavior?
5. Once a punishment has been decided‚ how often can your child get out of it?
6. How often do you have to ask your child to do the same thing more than once?
7. How often does your child get punished sometimes‚ but not other times‚ for doing the same thing?

Youth Items

1. Once your parent decides a punishment‚ how often can you get out of it?
2. How often do you get away with things?
3. How often do you get punished sometimes‚ but not other times‚ for doing the same thing?
4. How often does your parent have to ask you to do the same thing more than once?
5. When you get punished‚ how much does the kind of punishment you get depend on your parent’s mood?
   • 1 Totally on mood
   • 2 Mostly on mood
   • 3 About half on mood half on your behavior
   • 4 Mostly on your behavior
   • 5 Totally on your behavior

Response Options (Used for items 1-4, 6-7 for parents, and 1-4 for youth):

• Often = 4
• Sometimes = 3
• Seldom = 2
• Never Just like = 1