Development and Psychometric Properties of the Child-to-Parent Aggression Parent-Report (CPA-p)

Child-to-parent aggression (CPA) has gained increasing recognition in recent years, becoming a concerning issue in many countries. Despite growing attention, few measures assess CPA from the parent’s perspective, and none capture the emotional impact on caregivers. The present study developed and validated the Child-to-Parent Aggression Parent-Report (CPA-p), a new instrument designed to assess CPA behaviours and their effects on parents or caregivers. A total of 297 caregivers of children under 18 years (72.4% female) completed the CPA-p online. The sample was randomly divided into two subsamples for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 148) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 149). EFA identified a three-factor structure—psychological aggression, physical aggression, and negative affect of the caregiver—which was subsequently confirmed by CFA. The three-factor structure showed acceptable fit and remained stable across analyses. The model demonstrated good fit indices and internal consistency across subscales, with evidence of criterion-related validity through significant correlations with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Although measurement invariance tests suggested that factor loadings differed across child gender, the overall structure was stable. The CPA-p presents sound psychometric properties and is a valuable instrument for assessing CPA in both research and clinical contexts. Importantly, it is the first tool to include a measure of the emotional impact of CPA on caregivers, supporting more comprehensive understanding and intervention planning. Child-to-Parent Aggression (CPA) is a growing concern however, official data is likely to underrepresent the extent of the phenomenon based on under-reporting. There are few measures developed to obtain parent/carer experiences of CPA. The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of the newly developed Child-to-Parent Aggression Parent Report (CPA-p). The CPA-p has three subscales (psychological aggression, physical aggression and negative affect of parent/carer), demonstrates adequate psychometric properties, and is thus a useful instrument to assess CPA.