AN ADLERIAN PARENTAL ASSESSMENT OF TEEN BEHAVIOR SCALE: A VALIDATION STUDY (STEP).

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Adlerian Parental Assessment of Teen Behavior Scale (APATBS). Twenty-five test items were developed to measure five major constructs (cooperation, responsibility, respect, independence, and decision making) addressed in Adlerian parents of teens study group curricula. Four additional items identified misbehavior goals. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) was incorporated for adjunct instrumentation. The APATBS pilot test instrument was examined for content validity, factorial validity, internal consistency, convergent/discriminant validity, external validity, and predictive validity. Sixteen test site coordinators were selected from widely dispersed geographic locations throughout the United States and Canada. The test was administered in a group setting or mail and return format. Two hundred and fifty-two parents (56 percent return) who had not participated in Adlerian parents of teens study groups responded. Content validity was established by concurrence of seven expert consultants on percentage of agreement for each item--x = 85.8 for all items. Although the five constructs failed to emerge in the factor analysis, four factors evolved from the item loadings: Consideration for Self and Others, Responsibility for Self, Responsibility for Social Living, and Autonomy/Independence. Discriminant validity was obtained by calculating zero-order (Pearson) correlation coefficients between the RSE and all four subscales of the APATBS. The range was from r = .02 to r = .13. Convergent validity was established with shared variance (r²) within the four subscales of the APATBS ranging from 20 to 49 percent. Alpha coefficients ranging from .68 to .89 for the four subscales attest to instrument reliability. External validity was confirmed when neither respondent gender, marital status, education level of the respondent, or sex of the specified adolescent were significant determiners of parental perceptions of the adolescent behavior. Predictive validity for the four misbehavior goals ranged from 83 to 86 percent and can be used to monitor parents' progress by examining changes in parental perceptions. It was concluded the APATBS has practical potential representing a major step in meeting the need for Adlerian measurement devices.