Evaluación de las prácticas parentales: Análisis psicométrico de la escala Adolescent Family Process

Abstract

The  highest  prevalence  of  antinormative  behaviors  occurs  in  adolescence. Parenting  practices  influence  directly  on  the  maintenance  or  desistance  of these  behaviors.  This  paper  explores  the  psychometric  properties  of  the Adolescent  Family  Process  scale  in  a  group  of  301  teenagers  from  Cordoba (Argentine), 27% of them with criminal records. The scale is frequently used in  criminological  studies  for  the  measurement  of  the  relationship  between parenting practices and the antinormative behavior of teenagers. In a general way,  the  scale  proved  to  be  valid  and  reliable  for  the  study  of  parenting practices  in  this  population.   Internal  consistency  rates  were  adequate  and criterion  validity  analysis  showed  that  different  types  of  antinormative behavior are negatively associated with parental practices such as monitoring, communication and approval, and positively correlated with conflict between parents  and  children.  However,  exploratory  factor  analysis  (principal  axes) indicated  a  five  factorial  structure  different  from  those  purposed  in  the original scale. The paternal and maternal practices scales showed differences in the factorial structure. Theoretical and technical implications of findings are discussed.