Behavioral Affect Rating Scale – BARS (22-Item Version)
Measures supportive warmth and conflictual hostility in family relationships.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Behavioral Affect Rating Scale – BARS (22-Item Version) was developed by Conger, R. D. (1989). It is designed to measure Parental warmth and hostility. The scale is intended for use with Children, adolescents, and parents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Warmth, Hostility.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth | 2,3,4,7,10,11,13,17,22 | 9 |
| Hostility | 1,5,6,8,9,12,14,15,16,18,19,20,21 | 13 |
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.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Mother report of father hostility: 0.88, Mother report of father warmth: 0.94, Father report of mother hostility: 0.81, Father report of mother warmth: 0.91, Child report of mother warmth: 0.82, Child report of father warmth: 0.87.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.