Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
Published on: March 1, 2019
The Boundary Violations Scale: an empirical measure of intergenerational boundary violations in families
Debra A Madden-Derdich1, Ana Ulloa Estrada, Kimberly A Updegraff
1Department of Family and Human Development, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2502, USA. dmadden@asu.edu
Abstract:
This article reviews the development of a new measure to assess children's perceptions of intergenerational boundary violations in families. The Boundary Violations Scale is a theoretically derived instrument consisting of 12 items. Principal components analysis using data from 119 young adolescents from diverse ethnic backgrounds (i.e., 56% Hispanic and 44% non-Hispanic) revealed three factors (promoting maturity, forming coalitions, and communicating as peers) that are consistent with the behavioral manifestations of this construct as posited by structural family theory. The validity of the measure was supported by significant correlations with theoretically relevant measures of family processes and child adjustment as reported by children and their mothers.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Sibling Relationships During Infancy and Toddlerhood
Borderline Personality Disorder
Genetic and Environmental Contributions
Borderline Personality...
Conduct Disorder
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
