Communities That Care Youth Survey – Risk and Protective Factor Scales (CTC-YS)
Measures risk and protective factors predictive of adolescent substance abuse, delinquency, and other problem behaviors.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Communities That Care Youth Survey – Risk and Protective Factor Scales (CTC-YS) was developed by Arthur, Hawkins, Pollard, Catalano & Baglioni (2002). It is designed to measure Risk and Protective Factors. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 18 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: School Opportunities for Prosocial Involvement, School Rewards for Prosocial Involvement, School Safety, Academic Achievement, Depressive Symptoms, Belief in Moral Order.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| School Opportunities for Prosocial Involvement | 1,2,4,5,10 | 5 |
| School Rewards for Prosocial Involvement | 3,7,8 | 3 |
| School Safety | 6 | 1 |
| Academic Achievement | 9 | 1 |
| Depressive Symptoms | 11,12,13,14 | 4 |
| Belief in Moral Order | 15,16,17,18 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = NO!, 2 = no, 3 = yes, 4 = YES!.
The scale includes 1 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 4 to 16. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Risk / High Protection: 4 – 8
- Moderate Risk / Moderate Protection: 9 – 12
- High Risk / Low Protection: 13 – 16
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from 0.70 to 0.90 across subscales.
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.