Parental-Child Attachment—Rochester Youth Development Study

Abstract

The Parental-Child Attachment scale, utilized extensively within the context of the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), is a brief, self-report instrument designed to measure the perceived quality of the relationship between a youth and their primary caregiver. It features parallel forms administered separately to both the parent and the youth, focusing on key aspects of relational dynamics, including warmth, trust, conflict, and negative emotional expression (anger and perceived violence). The scale is structured to assess the reciprocal nature of the bond and is frequently employed in longitudinal research examining the links between family relationships and developmental outcomes, particularly delinquency and antisocial behavior.

Keywords

Parent-Child Relationship, Family Dynamics, Attachment, Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), Criminology, Youth Development, Family Conflict, Warmth relationship

Authors

The scale was utilized and often adapted by researchers associated with the Rochester Youth Development Study, notably Thornberry TP, Lizotte AJ, Krohn MD, Farnworth M, and Jang SJ.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Parental-Child Attachment scale is to quantify the affective and behavioral dimensions of the parent-child relationship. By gathering data from both members of the dyad, researchers can assess the level of mutual understanding, enjoyment, and respect, balanced against feelings of anger, demandingness, and interference. This measurement is crucial for studies rooted in theories like Interactional theory, where strong social bonds, particularly to the family, are hypothesized to inhibit involvement in delinquency and violence. The instrument is sourced from a compendium of tools for measuring violence-related attitudes and behaviors. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf (pages 296-297).

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of parent-child attachment quality, which is operationalized through two core dimensions: positive relational attributes (e.g., getting along well, trust, enjoyment, pride) and negative relational attributes (e.g., misunderstanding, demandingness, anger, violence, interference). This dual focus allows for a comprehensive assessment of the family relationship, encompassing both warmth and conflict. The overall score derived from the scale represents the perceived strength and health of the attachment bond.

Validity

While specific validity coefficients (such as criterion or construct validity statistics) are not provided in the source material, the scale’s items demonstrate strong face validity relevant to measuring family relationship quality and warmth. Its use in the longitudinal Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), a major criminological study, suggests its empirical utility in predicting behavioral outcomes, lending support to its predictive validity within that context. The measure is conceptually aligned with established theories of social control and bonding, reinforcing its theoretical validity.

Reliability

Specific reliability statistics (e.g., internal consistency measures like Cronbach’s alpha) are not detailed in the source content. However, given that the scale was adapted for use in rigorous academic research like the RYDS, it is presumed to possess acceptable levels of reliability. The structure of the measure, utilizing parallel items for both parents and youth, allows for the examination of reliability through inter-rater consistency within the dyad, though overall internal consistency of the combined or separate subscales would need to be referenced in the primary research publications (e.g., Thornberry et al., 1991).

Factor Analysis

The source material does not explicitly detail the results of a factor analysis. However, the structure of the items suggests that the measure is likely multi-dimensional, possibly loading onto factors representing ‘Warmth/Affection/Trust’ (positive attachment) and ‘Conflict/Strain/Anger’ (negative attachment or detachment). The scoring methodology, which involves summing and averaging items, implies that the researchers treat the instrument as a composite measure of overall attachment quality, potentially based on a single dominant factor or a weighted combination of sub-factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, Dyadic assessment

Format: 4-point Likert scale response format

Language Available: English (as presented in the source material)

Population Group: Parents/Caregivers and Youth

Age Group: Adolescents and their primary caregivers (consistent with RYDS population)

Population Details: The scale was developed for use in large-scale studies of youth populations, particularly those focusing on risk factors for violence and delinquency.

Test Methodology: The scale consists of 11 items for parents and 11 parallel items for youth. Responses are scored 4 (Often) down to 1 (Never). Several items are reverse coded to ensure consistency in scoring direction, and the final score is an average of the item points, resulting in a range of 1-4, where higher scores indicate a higher level of attachment quality.

Keywords

Attachment Quality, Delinquency, Youth Studies, Family Bonding, Likert scale, Psychological Assessment, Criminology

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale is an instrument utilized within the Rochester Youth Development Study, deriving items from previously established clinical measurement packages (Hudson, 1982). Permissions for use should be sought from the primary researchers of the RYDS or the authors of the original source material. Fee information is not provided. The scale’s primary use and publication context date back to research published around 1991.

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.

• Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Items of the Parental-Child Attachment—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

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?

Scoring Method:

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.