Parent-Child Affective Quality – Parent Report (PCAQ-PR)
Measures the frequency of positive and negative affective interactions between a parent and their child.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Parent-Child Affective Quality – Parent Report (PCAQ-PR) was developed by Richard Spoth, Cleve Redmond (1998). It is designed to measure Parent-Child Affective Quality. The scale is intended for use with Parents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 7 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Positive Interaction, Negative Interaction.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Interaction | 2,4,5 | 3 |
| Negative Interaction | 1,3,6,7 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Always, 2 = Almost Always, 3 = Fairly Often, 4 = About Half the Time, 5 = Not too Often, 6 = Almost Never, 7 = Never.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 7 to 49. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low relationship quality: 7 – 20
- Moderate relationship quality: 21 – 35
- High relationship quality: 36 – 49
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.