Adolescent Concerns Evaluation – ACE
Measures adolescent concerns across family, school, peer, and individual domains to detect indicators of runaway behavior.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Adolescent Concerns Evaluation – ACE was developed by W. E. Springer (1998). It is designed to measure Adolescent concerns and runaway risk indicators. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Family Life, School Experiences, Peer Experiences, Individual Feelings.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Family Life | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | 12 |
| School Experiences | 13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21 | 9 |
| Peer Experiences | 22,23,24,25,26,27,28 | 7 |
| Individual Feelings | 29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 15 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.