Parent-Child RelationsNCT05332236
Parent-adolescent Communication: Validation of a German Language Scale and Its Longitudinal Association With Adolescent Mental Health
An observational study of Parent-Child Relations, run by Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf at 1 site in Germany.
Trial summary
A German version of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS, Barnes \& Olson, 1982) will be validated in a large sample of children (10-18 years) and their parents. As a secondary objective, the association of communication quality, children's somatic symptoms and mental health will be explored. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 10 to 99 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Parent-Child Relations
- What is being tested?
- Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)
- How many people
- 2,338 participants
- Where
- 1 siteGermany
- Study dates
- 20 May 2022to 31 May 2025
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 10 to 99 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Children and their parents from the general population, parents seeking advice in parenting support centres and their children, parents and children recruited among in- and outpatients at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Who may be able to join
- Consent to participate
- Child age: 10-18 years.
Who cannot join
- None.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Validierung Eines Psychometrischen Fragebogens Zur Eltern-Kind-Kommunikation im Selbstbericht
A German version of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS, Barnes \& Olson, 1982) will be validated in a large sample of children (10-18 years) and their parents. As a secondary objective, the association of communication quality, children's somatic symptoms and mental health will be explored. After two years, participants from the community sample will be contacted again to see whether baseline communication quality predicts adolescent mental health two years later.
Read the detailed description
The quality of parent-child communication (pcc) is likely to be of importance for child mental health, especially during adolescence. Therefore, pcc is relevant in etiologic research, diagnostics, and as a possible target for intervention in at-risk and clinical populations.
Up to now, there is no validated questionnaire in German language to assess pcc as parent and child self-report. A German translation of the widely used Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS, Barnes \& Olson, 1982) will be validated in this study. This questionnaire comprises 20 items that are identical in parent and child versions apart from the referent (my mother/my father/my daughter/my son). In the original scale, two subscales were found via factor analysis: Open communication and problems in communication (ten items each). Internal consistency was adequate in most studies. Several studies have shown associations between pcc and child mental health.
In the current study, the primary aim is to validate the questionnaire in a community, an at-risk, and a clinical sample, with the at-risk sample comprising parent-child dyads with parents seeking parenting advice. The clinical sample will be recruited among in- and outpatients at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. Discriminative validity will be assessed in terms of group differences, construct validity in terms of correlations with different subscales on the parent-child relationship. With regard to the factorial structure, an exploratory factor analysis will be performed. As a secondary aim, the association between somatic symptoms, mental health, and pcc will be studied.
In the longitudinal part of the study, parent-child communication quality will be analysed as a predictor of mental health, especially depressive symptoms and somatic symptoms.
- Conditions
- Parent-Child Relations
- Being tested
- Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)
- Keywords
- parent-child communication, parent-adolescent communication
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)Diagnostic test
Observational psychometric validation study
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Community sample | Adolescents (10-18 years) and their parents, recruited via online sampling, from the general population Receives: Diagnostic Test: Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire) | |
| At-risk sample | Parents seeking parenting advice in information centres/helplines. Receives: Diagnostic Test: Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire) | |
| Clinical sample | Children and parents are recruited among in- and outpatients at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Receives: Diagnostic Test: Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Parent-adolescent communication scale
20 item measure consisting of two subscales (open and problem communication), 5-point Likert scale; child and parent report
Measured: Baseline
Change in general adolescent mental health
Changes in general adolescent mental health will be measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), total scale. The total scale consists of 20 items rated on a 3-step scale. Higher values indicate higher symptom burden.
Measured: From baseline to 2 years after recruitment
Secondary outcomes (2)
Depressive symptoms two years after recruitment
The Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (DES-DC) measures depressive symptoms in adolescents using 20 items on a four-step Likert scale. Higher values indicate higher symptom burden. Instead of general cut-offs, standardized T-values accoring to gender groups above 60 can be considered as conspicuous (Barkmann et al. 2011).
Measured: Two years after initial recruitment.
Change in somatic complaints
The somatic complaints subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist/Youth Self Report questionnaire will be used to measure somatic complaints in adolescents. It consists of 7 items and is measured on a three-step Likert scale. Higher values indicate more and more frequent somatic complaints.
Measured: From baseline to two years after recruitment.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Apr 2022
- Study start20 May 2022
- Primary completion31 Dec 2024
- Study completion31 May 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Parent-Child RelationsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-EppendorfThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Family based
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 2,338 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Holger Zapf, PhD, Principal investigator, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05332236
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- E-K-Kom-Val
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 11 Apr 2022
- Last updated
- 2 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Zapf H, Boettcher J. Psychometric evaluation of the german version of the parent-adolescent communication scale. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Mar;34(3):1097-1109. doi: 10.1007/s00787-024-02541-4. Epub 2024 Aug 7.
PubMed 39110191Zapf H. Parent-adolescent communication quality does not moderate the association of emotional burden and somatic complaints in adolescents: a cross-sectional structural equation model. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2025 Mar 22;19(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s13034-025-00882-9.
PubMed 40121474
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Validierung Eines Psychometrischen Fragebogens Zur Eltern-Kind-Kommunikation im Selbstbericht
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05332236
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- E-K-Kom-Val
- Conditions
- Parent-Child Relations
- Keywords
- parent-child communication, parent-adolescent communication
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 2,338 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-EppendorfUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 May 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 May 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 18 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
A German version of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS, Barnes \& Olson, 1982) will be validated in a large sample of children (10-18 years) and their parents. As a secondary objective, the association of communication quality, children's somatic symptoms and mental health will be explored. After two years, participants from the community sample will be contacted again to see whether baseline communication quality predicts adolescent mental health two years later.
Detailed description
The quality of parent-child communication (pcc) is likely to be of importance for child mental health, especially during adolescence. Therefore, pcc is relevant in etiologic research, diagnostics, and as a possible target for intervention in at-risk and clinical populations.
Up to now, there is no validated questionnaire in German language to assess pcc as parent and child self-report. A German translation of the widely used Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS, Barnes \& Olson, 1982) will be validated in this study. This questionnaire comprises 20 items that are identical in parent and child versions apart from the referent (my mother/my father/my daughter/my son). In the original scale, two subscales were found via factor analysis: Open communication and problems in communication (ten items each). Internal consistency was adequate in most studies. Several studies have shown associations between pcc and child mental health.
In the current study, the primary aim is to validate the questionnaire in a community, an at-risk, and a clinical sample, with the at-risk sample comprising parent-child dyads with parents seeking parenting advice. The clinical sample will be recruited among in- and outpatients at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. Discriminative validity will be assessed in terms of group differences, construct validity in terms of correlations with different subscales on the parent-child relationship. With regard to the factorial structure, an exploratory factor analysis will be performed. As a secondary aim, the association between somatic symptoms, mental health, and pcc will be studied.
In the longitudinal part of the study, parent-child communication quality will be analysed as a predictor of mental health, especially depressive symptoms and somatic symptoms.
Study design
- Observational model
- Family based
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Community sample | – | Diagnostic Test: Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)Adolescents (10-18 years) and their parents, recruited via online sampling, from the general population |
| At-risk sample | – | Diagnostic Test: Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)Parents seeking parenting advice in information centres/helplines. |
| Clinical sample | – | Diagnostic Test: Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)Children and parents are recruited among in- and outpatients at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 10 to 99 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Children and their parents from the general population, parents seeking advice in parenting support centres and their children, parents and children recruited among in- and outpatients at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Consent to participate
- Child age: 10-18 years.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (questionnaire)Observational psychometric validation study | Diagnostic test | At-risk sample, Clinical sample, Community sample |
Primary outcome
Parent-adolescent communication scale
Time frame: Baseline
20 item measure consisting of two subscales (open and problem communication), 5-point Likert scale; child and parent report
Change in general adolescent mental health
Time frame: From baseline to 2 years after recruitment
Changes in general adolescent mental health will be measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), total scale. The total scale consists of 20 items rated on a 3-step scale. Higher values indicate higher symptom burden.
2 secondary outcomes
Depressive symptoms two years after recruitment
Time frame: Two years after initial recruitment.
Change in somatic complaints
Time frame: From baseline to two years after recruitment.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Oct 2025.
- Results publication: PubMed 39110191Zapf H, Boettcher J. Psychometric evaluation of the german version of the parent-adolescent communication scale. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Mar;34(3):1097-1109. doi: 10.1007/s00787-024-02541-4. Epub 2024 Aug 7.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40121474Zapf H. Parent-adolescent communication quality does not moderate the association of emotional burden and somatic complaints in adolescents: a cross-sectional structural equation model. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2025 Mar 22;19(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s13034-025-00882-9.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Holger Zapf, PhD principal investigator
Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Parent-Child Relations, run by Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf at 1 site in Germany.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Parent-adolescent communication scale (time frame: Baseline). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05332236, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Oct 2025.