PARENTAL VERBAL AGGRESSION, PARENTAL RESPONSIVENESS, AND YOUNG ADULTS’ RELATIONAL SATISFACTION WITH THEIR PARENTS
Description
This study examined the relationships between parental verbal aggression, parental responsiveness, and young adults' relational satisfaction with their parents in the Ghanaian cultural context. Drawing from a sample of 366 young adults (freshmen undergraduates) selected through cluster sampling at the University of Cape Coast, this research assessed the correlation between parental communication styles on relational outcomes
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In a descriptive, cross-sectional study employing cluster sampling, 400 freshmen undergraduate students out of approximately 13,000 at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana were invited to respond to an online survey hosted on KoboToolbox (https://www.kobotoolbox.org). A total of 366 undergraduate students responded to the survey. The questionnaire comprised 61 items grouped into four sections. The first section captured demographic and background information about the participants. The second section assessed parental verbal aggressiveness by adapting the10 aggressiveness items from Infante and Wigley's (1986) Verbal Aggressiveness Scale. These items were modified from a self-assessment format to third-person evaluations of fathers' and mothers' behaviors separately, resulting in 20 items scored on a 5-point scale from "almost never true" to "almost always true." The third section measured parental responsiveness using a shortened 12-item version of the Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale (PPRS) developed by Reis and Carmichael (2018). Although originally designed for romantic partners, the scale was adapted here to assess both maternal and paternal responsiveness separately, resulting in 24 items. Responses were recorded on a 5-point scale ranging from "not at all true" to "completely true," with an additional "not applicable" option for respondents unable to evaluate either parent. The final section evaluated relational satisfaction with parents using the Burns Relational Satisfaction Scale (Burns & Sayers, 1988). This 7-item measure, traditionally used for intimate relationships, was also deemed appropriate for parent-child relationships. Participants rated their satisfaction with both mothers and fathers on a 6-point scale, yielding 14 items in this section. Before the questionnaire items, respondents received a clear and simple introduction explaining the study's purpose and their voluntary participation rights, including confidentiality and the option to withdraw at any time without consequence. They were also informed that the study was purely academic with no direct rewards for participation.