PARTI-1.0

Parenting Attitudes about Raising Teenagers Inventory

The PARTI is a norm-referenced inventory designed to assess the parenting beliefs of parents and their teens ages 13-18 years. Responses to the PARTI provide parents and their teens an opportunity to compare their beliefs regarding issues that define adolescence.

How to administer, interpret and utilize results presented on the Parenting Profiles

Introduction

Adolescence is a developmental period of time from 13 yrs. to 18 yrs. of life. During this period of time, exploring, testing, challenging and rebelling are natural parts of teens’ behavior. Adolescence is both an exciting developmental time and a stressful developmental time for both teens and their parents. The PARTI is designed for both teens and parents (or guardians of teens) to identify and share their beliefs about being a teen and parenting a teen. The goal is twofold: 1) for parents and teens to have open and frequent discussions about the issues teens face and the expectations the parents have for their teen son or daughter and, 2) to negotiate their different views perhaps by compromising and finding resolutions that everyone can support. Communication among teens and between teens and their parents/guardians is critical for healthy and nurturing personal growth.

The Five Constructs: Understanding the Results

The PARTI assesses five common areas of teen development. These five areas are called Constructs which represent a summary of the issues that parents and teens will confront during and beyond the teen years. How parents and teens handle these issues will form the basis of their relationship during adolescence and into adult life. A complete description of the constructs is presented later in this document.

Each of the five Construct areas is summarized and presented by letters A, B, C, D and E on the PARTI Profile. Each of the five Construct areas is represented by eight statements which are scattered throughout the inventory. The items represent issues that the parents and teens will face during the most challenging 7 years of their life. In the initial field testing of nearly 200 inventory items with over 1800 parents and teens responding, the 40 items on the PARTI were selected because of the diversity of the responses from parents and teens.

Administering the PARTI to a Classroom of Teens

The PARTI, like most inventories, is best administered in a quiet place with only the examiner and the person completing the PARTI. Group administration of the PARTI can provide you some responses that may be more representative of the group and not necessarily of the individual. The items on the PARTI have a way of generating some to a lot of anxiety expressed in laughter and in comments that can be a bit distasteful to others in the room. If you can’t administer the PARTI one-to-one, then administer by group with reminding the class that discussion will occur after everyone has completed the inventory.

After all class members have completed the PARTI, collect the forms and enter the responses on line. Since you are reading this document, an assumption is made that you already know how to enter the data. If the assumption is inaccurate, look for the upper tab labeled Score Assessments. Follow the directions and enter the data. Once the data is entered, print out a copy of the table. Review the class responses. What items generated the most favorable or unfavorable responses? Hand back the students completed copies of the PARTI. Hand out a copy of the table to the students or present the data to the class using a power point presentation and the PARTI.

Administering the PARTI to Families Receiving Services

If you are administering the PARTI to a parent only or to a parent and teen together, the same guidelines apply. See if they can focus on identifying their beliefs rather than commenting. If they begin to find humor and begin laughing, that might not be such a bad thing especially if they are not getting along. The laughter might be the start of reconciliation.

Administering the PARTI to a Classroom of Teens

The PARTI, like most inventories, is best administered in a quiet place with only the examiner and the person completing the PARTI. Group administration of the PARTI can provide you some responses that may be more representative of the group and not necessarily of the individual. The items on the PARTI have a way of generating some to a lot of anxiety expressed in laughter and in comments that can be a bit distasteful to others in the room. If you can’t administer the PARTI one-to-one, then administer by group with reminding the class that discussion will occur after everyone has completed the inventory.

After all class members have completed the PARTI, collect the forms and enter the responses on line. Since you are reading this document, an assumption is made that you already know how to enter the data. If the assumption is inaccurate, look for the upper tab labeled Score Assessments. Follow the directions and enter the data. Once the data is entered, print out a copy of the table. Review the class responses. What items generated the most favorable or unfavorable responses? Hand back the students completed copies of the PARTI. Hand out a copy of the table to the students or present the data to the class using a power point presentation and the PARTI.

Scoring and Interpreting the Responses

There are two ways to score the responses: go on-line to assessingparenting.com and enter the data. Or casually review the responses with the parent and teen together.

The preferred way is to go on line and enter the data and receive a profile. You will need to establish a user name and password with Family Development Resources. Using the computer to enter and score your data is the easiest. A profile of the scores will give everyone an opportunity to see their beliefs on paper. I think the on-line method should definitely be used for families receiving services.

A review of the PARTI Profile presents five columns:

  • The first column on the left side of the profile briefly describes the constructs. A greater understanding of the constructs is presented in this document.
  • The second column lists the item numbers that both teens and parents agree.
  • The third column lists the item numbers that both teens and parents disagree.
  • The fourth column lists the item numbers that both teens and parents are uncertain.
  • The fifth column provides a listing of the items by Construct. Identifying the items that parents and teens agree, disagree and are uncertain provides the foundation for discussion that leads to understanding and acceptance through negotiation and compromise.

If the family is in a casual conversation with the members completing the inventory for more amusement and entertainment than trying to deal with serious family issues, or if the issues are not truly critical, have one of the family members keep score. Read the item and have people verbally share their response. You can also ask for an explanation for their response. Someone can keep tally and mark for each item who agrees, disagrees or is unsure. It’s a bit like painting a family portrait on issues that can be tough to handle.

Compromise and Negotiation: Working Together

The overall goal of negotiation and compromise is to identify common beliefs as well as differences in beliefs. By showing respect to the views of others, an acceptable resolution can be reached that ideally satisfies both parties. By following the steps listed below, teens and parents who are committed in having a positive nurturing relationship can resolve their differences.

Step 1. Respect for the other person’s opinions, views and needs is mandatory for a successful negotiation. Parents and teens have to be respectful to each other especially when they disagree.

Step 2. Parents and teens are encouraged to review the statements that they both agree on first before getting into the disagreement statements. Parents and teens also need to take some time recognizing and discussing their commonalities. Not everything that parents and teens discuss is a difference of opinion. Commonalities are the beliefs that strengthen the teen-parent bond. Discuss the statements in which both parties agree. Why do both parties agree? What is the basis of their agreement?

Step 3. Next, identify the items both parents and teens differ. These are likely areas of disagreement and conflict. Is the conflict a power struggle? Is either the parent or the teen demanding without any room for compromise? What is the basis for the disagreement? Are their hurt feelings involved? Is there pride involved? Does one party feel they are being used or manipulated? Does this issue have a long history of being unresolved? Is there disrespectful communication occurring?

If yes to any of these statements, take a separate 15 minute break to release your stress and return knowing that there is a difference in beliefs. Both parties are probably thinking the other person is wrong. There is an old saying that “two wrongs do not make a right.” If the item in question has been debated for more than 15-20 minutes and no solution has been reached, make a plan to re-open discussion the next day if possible. Show a strong commitment to reaching a resolution. DO NOT abandon the issue or reject the promise to work again on finding a solution by stating “Forget it! We just can’t come to an agreement!” Yes you can! If you can’t reconvene the meeting in one day, try two days and try again. All problems have solutions as all solutions had once been problems.

Step 4. Discuss items in which the parents and/or teens felt uncertain. Find out the basis of uncertainty. Is fear a central part of the uncertainty? Will the teen be punished or emotionally abandoned in believing or not believing the same as the parents? “Uncertain” responses are an answer looking for a question they feel safe in answering. Make the environment safe to hear and discuss statements you don’t accept.