Adolescent Coping and Communication Scale (ACCS)

This article reports on the item construction of a new screening scale to measure coping and communication among adolescents with a parent enrolled in hospice. The aim of this study was to use cognitive interviewing methodology to determine the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Coping and Communication Scale (ACCS). The young adults in this study identified the need for a consistent point person on the hospice care team to discuss their concerns and provide information and support. The ACCS is a concise 15-question tool using a 5-point Likert scale to monitor the adolescent's coping and communication needs in real time. It can easily be formatted electronically or in paper format and completed in less than 10 minutes. It can be used as a clinical screening tool by health professionals who seek to help adolescents navigate this critical time when their parent is near the end of life. These results can also be used to inform the development of interventions that assist families with strategies tailored to an adolescent's specific needs. Additional research is needed to assess the psychometric properties of scale items. Future research should investigate the use of this tool in other age groups and populations.