Parent-Adolescent Communication [PAC]

Description

The Parent-Adolescent Communication (PAC) instrument assesses communication between parents and adolescents regarding sexual behavior and its potential consequences. It examines whether parents and adolescents have discussed topics such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and HIV/AIDS.

Dimensions

The instrument covers three main domains: health risks associated with sexual behavior, social consequences of sexual intercourse, and moral consequences. The original items refer to communication with the mother; for the father version, “mother” is replaced with “father.”

Scoring and Reliability

Responses are rated on a 4-point scale, ranging from 1 = “Not at all” to 4 = “A great deal.”

The available material reports internal consistency coefficients of 0.88, 0.85, and 0.89 for the health-risk, social-consequence, and moral-consequence domains, respectively.

Reference

Guilamo-Ramos V, Jaccard J, Dittus P, Bouris AM. Parental expertise, trustworthiness, and accessibility: Parent-adolescent communication and adolescent risk behavior. Journal of Marriage and Family. 2006;68(5):1229.

Tags: Parent-Adolescent Communication, PAC, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Health, Family Communication, Adolescence