The Revised Child-to-Parent Aggressions Questionnaire: an Examination During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Child-to-parent violence (CPV) is an important type of family violence that has been relatively understudied. This study examined the main psychometric properties of the revised Child-to-Parent Aggression Questionnaire (CPAQ-R), which examines both violent behaviors against parents and reasons for these behaviors. The aims included identifying the dimensions of CPV and examining the magnitude of CPV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A sample of 1,244 adolescents (aged from 12 to 17) from several schools in the Basque Country completed the CPAQ-R. Several confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, including exploratory, confirmatory, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and bifactor analyses.

The data supported a bifactor ESEM model in which a general factor of violence against parents explained aggressions against both mothers and fathers. In addition, three reasons for the violence emerged: instrumental, reactive, and defensive reasons. Rates of CPV during the COVID-19 pandemic were high, with 16.5% of adolescents reporting reiterative aggressions against their parents. There were no differences between aggressions against mothers and fathers.

The CPAQ-R is an adequate questionnaire for assessing CPV in adolescents. The confinement and restrictions placed on families during the COVID-19 pandemic may explain the high prevalence of CPV and shed light on possible differences related to the sex of the parents.