Behavioral Anger Response Questionnaire – BARQ
Measures behavioral coping strategies and responses to anger in children, adolescents, and adults.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Behavioral Anger Response Questionnaire – BARQ was developed by Ronald Potter-Efron, Patricia Potter-Efron, Wolfgang Linden, & A. C. Miers (2007). It is designed to measure Anger coping strategies. The scale is intended for use with Children, adolescents, and adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 37 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Direct Anger-out, Assertion, Social support-seeking, Diffusion, Avoidance, Rumination.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Anger-out | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 7 |
| Assertion | 8,9,10,11,12,13 | 6 |
| Social support-seeking | 14,15,16,17,18,19 | 6 |
| Diffusion | 20,21,22,23,24,25 | 6 |
| Avoidance | 26,27,28,29,30,31 | 6 |
| Rumination | 32,33,34,35,36,37 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not true, 2 = Sometimes true, 3 = Often true.
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 Mean alpha = .76 (range .65 to .85).
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.