Parental-Child Attachment—Rochester Youth Development Study

Abstract

The Parental-Child Attachment Scale, utilized within the comprehensive Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), is a specialized instrument designed to measure the quality and strength of the emotional bond between parents and their adolescent children. Developed by Thornberry, Lizotte, Krohn, Farnworth, and Jang in 1991, and adapted primarily from Hudson (1982), this scale provides a reciprocal assessment, gathering data from both the parent and the youth simultaneously. The primary application of this measure is within the field of criminology, specifically to test tenets of the interactional theory of delinquency, examining how familial attachment influences delinquent behavior and reciprocal causal relationships among family, school, and antisocial actions.

Keywords

Parent-Child Attachment, Rochester Youth Development Study, Interactional Theory, Family Relationships, Delinquency, Youth Studies, Criminology

Authors

Thornberry, Terence P., Lizotte, Alan J., Krohn, Marvin D., Farnworth, Margaret, Jang, Sung Joon. Adapted from Hudson, Walter W. (1982).

Purpose

The core purpose of the Parental-Child Attachment Scale is to quantitatively assess the level of emotional closeness, trust, and conflict present in the parent-child dyad within a longitudinal research framework. This instrument was crucial for the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), a major longitudinal effort investigating the etiology of delinquency and drug use among adolescents. By measuring attachment from both perspectives (parent and youth), researchers gain a nuanced understanding of the relational dynamics that may serve as protective factors or risk factors for subsequent involvement in criminal behavior.

Specifically, the scale operationalizes concepts central to social control and interactional theory, which posits that weakened bonds to conventional institutions, such as the family, increase the likelihood of deviance. The reciprocal nature of the measurement allows for the analysis of bidirectional influences—how parental attitudes affect youth behavior and vice versa—contributing significantly to criminological research methodology.

Construct

The psychological construct primarily measured is **Parental-Child Attachment**, often conceptualized in this context as the quality of the **family relationship** and the level of **Warmth relationship** experienced by both parties. This attachment is characterized by emotional investment, mutual respect, understanding, and the absence of hostility or interference. High attachment scores reflect a strong, positive, and supportive relationship, while low scores indicate distance, misunderstanding, anger, and potential emotional or physical violence.

The scale operationalizes attachment through items that gauge specific relational dimensions, including: mutual enjoyment and pride, perceived trust and understanding, perceived demandingness, and expressions of anger or violent feelings. By capturing these distinct facets, the instrument provides a comprehensive index of the affective quality of the family bond, which is a powerful predictor in developmental psychology and criminology.

Validity

While specific detailed validity coefficients (e.g., convergent, discriminant) are typically reported in the primary research article (Thornberry et al., 1991), the instrument demonstrates strong face and content validity. It directly measures behaviors and attitudes aligned with established definitions of parent-child bonding and conflict, drawing on the foundational work of Hudson (1982), whose measures are widely recognized in clinical assessment. Its use within the rigorous Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) framework suggests its utility in predicting longitudinal outcomes related to delinquency, providing evidence of predictive validity within that population.

Reliability

Psychometric properties, including internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha), are detailed in the original 1991 publication. Given the scale’s adaptation from a standardized clinical package (Hudson, 1982), the core structure likely inherits a degree of reliability established in earlier research. The instrument’s design, featuring multiple items covering both positive and negative aspects of the relationship, is structured to ensure robust internal consistency for both the parent and youth subscales when used in large cohort studies like the RYDS.

Factor Analysis

Although not explicitly detailed in the provided excerpt, factor analysis of the 22 total items (11 for youth, 11 for parent) would typically be conducted to confirm the underlying dimensional structure of the attachment construct. Researchers likely confirmed that the items load onto a primary factor representing overall attachment quality, potentially with secondary factors distinguishing between warmth/trust and conflict/hostility, consistent with the blend of positively and negatively worded items included in both subscales.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report/Parent-report questionnaire (Reciprocal Dyadic Assessment)

Format: 4-point Likert scale (ranging from Never to Often)

Language Available: English (Primary language of the RYDS)

Population Group: Parents and Youth/Adolescents

Age Group: Typically utilized with adolescents participating in the longitudinal study (age range varies depending on RYDS wave)

Population Details: Participants of the Rochester Youth Development Study, a high-risk sample recruited from schools in Rochester, NY, focusing on urban youth.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate how often specific relational statements apply to their relationship. Scores are computed separately for the parent and youth scales, involving reverse coding for items reflecting negative aspects of attachment (e.g., anger, interference, misunderstanding). The final score is an average, ranging from 1 to 4, where a higher score signifies a stronger, more positive attachment.

Keywords

Psychological Measurement, Attachment Scale, Reciprocal Assessment, Delinquency Prediction, Hudson Clinical Measurement Package, Family Bonding

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source data.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source data.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed to the lead author, Terence P. Thornberry, associated with the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany at the time of publication.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and implemented as part of the federally funded Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS). While the underlying structure is adapted from the Hudson Clinical Measurement Package (1982), the specific RYDS adaptation is generally available for non-commercial academic research use, often requiring permission or citation of the primary source. The instrument was first utilized and published in this format in **1991**.

The instrument can be found on pages 296-297 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Reference’s

• Thornberry TP, Lizotte AJ, Krohn MD, Farnworth M, Jang SJ. Testing interactional theory: an examination of reciprocal causal relationships among family, school, and delinquency. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 1991;82:3-35.
• Hudson W. The clinical measurement package: a field manual. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press, 1982.

Items of the Parental-Child Attachment—Rochester Youth Development Study

Scoring Methodology: Point values are assigned as follows: Often=4, Sometimes=3, Seldom=2, Never=1. Parent and youth items are scored separately. Youth items 3, 4, 7, 9 and 10 are reverse coded; parent items 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 are reverse coded. Point values are summed and then divided by the number of items. The intended range of scores is 1-4, with a higher score indicating a higher level of attachment.

Parent Items

How often would you say that …

1. You get along well with your child?
2. You feel that you can really trust your child?
3. You just do not understand your child?
4. Your child is too demanding?
5. You really enjoy your child?
6. Your child interferes with your activities?
7. You think your child is terrific?
8. You feel very angry toward your child?
9. You feel violent toward your child?
10. You feel proud of your child?
11. You wish your child was more like others that you know?

Youth Items

How often would you say that …

1. You get along well with your parent?
2. You feel that you can really trust your parent?
3. Your parent does not understand you?
4. Your parent is too demanding?
5. You really enjoy your parent?
6. You have a lot of respect for your parent?
7. Your parent interferes with your activities?
8. You think your parent is terrific?
9. You feel very angry toward your parent?
10. You feel violent toward your parent?
11. You feel proud of your parent?