Conflict Tactics Scale for Parent and Child / Caregiver-Subject Conflict Scale

Conflict Tactics Scale for Parent and Child / Caregiver-Subject Conflict Scale

The parent-child version of the Conflict Tactics Scale was included to obtain information about different manners in which parents have handled the discipline of the child in the past year. On these scales disciplinary responses are grouped into three types: Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Aggression, and Physical Violence.

WAVE 1: The Conflict Tactics Scale for Parent and Child (CTSS) (PDF 2.2MB) measured psychological and physical maltreatment and neglect of children by their primary caregiver (PC), as well as nonviolent modes of discipline. The CTSS also measured the extent to which a PC carried out specific acts of physical and psychological aggression, regardless of whether the child was injured. It was administered to the PC of subjects belonging to Cohorts 3 to 15.

WAVE 2: The Caregiver-Subject Conflict Scale (CSC) (PDF 3.4MB) was modified from the Wave 1 parent-child version of the Conflict Tactics Scale. It added items related to more positive forms of disciplinary tactics, modified the response scale, and inquired about tactics used not only by the primary caregiver (PC), but by any adult household member. The CSC asked if any of several different ways of settling problems with the subject were used by any adult household member in the past year. It was administered to the PC of subjects belonging to Cohorts 0-15.

WAVE 3: The Conflict Tactics Scale for Parent and Child (CTSS) (PDF 1.8MB) measured psychological and physical maltreatment and neglect of children by their primary caregiver (PC) or any other adult family or household member, as well as nonviolent modes of discipline. The CTSS also measured the extent to which an adult carried out specific acts of physical and psychological aggression, regardless of whether the child was injured. It was modified from the Wave 1 parent-child version of the Conflict Tactics Scale. It was administered to the PC of subjects belonging to Cohorts 0 to 9.

Straus, M.A. (1979). "Measuring Intrafamily Conflict and Violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) scales." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75-88.

Moffit, T., Caspi, A., Krueder, R., Magdol, L., Margolin, G., Silva, P, & Sydney, R. (1996). "Do partners agree about abuse? A psychometric evaluation of interpartner agreement." Psychological Assessment, 9, 47-56.

Basic Information regarding Conflict Tactics Scale