Assessing critical dimensions of the parent–adolescent relationship from multiple perspectives: Development and validation of the Parent-Adolescent Relationship Scale (PARS)

This paper presents two studies outlining the development and validation of a new parent- and adolescent-report measure of the parent–adolescent relationship: the Parent-Adolescent Relationship Scale (PARS). Study 1 involved an exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 256 parents of adolescents aged 11–18 years. Results produced a 21-item measure comprising three subscales, Connectedness, Shared Activities, and Hostility, each with high factor loadings (> .60), strong internal consistency (H index = .84 to .91 for different age groups) and test–retest reliability (r = .73 to .84). Convergent validity was established via correlations between the PARS and established parent–adolescent relationship and parenting measures. Discriminant validity was shown via no association between the PARS and a technology use measure. Study 2 involved confirmatory factor analysis with a second sample of parents of adolescents, along with validation of adolescent and emerging adult versions. Equivalence of the models across the three versions was also assessed. Study 2 provided further support for the 3-factor structure, demonstrating configural, metric, and scalar invariance across the three final 15-item self-report versions: parent, adolescent, and emerging adult. Results show the PARS is a potentially valuable tool for assessing the quality of the parent–adolescent relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Quality measurement of the parent–adolescent relationship is important in research and clinical settings, however few measures exist to adequately measure this relationship. This paper introduces the Parent-Adolescent Relationship Scale (PARS) with results showing that parent, adolescent, and emerging adult versions were equivalent to one another, stable across time, and related to other measures of the parent–adolescent relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)