Satisfaction of conduct-disordered and substance-abusing youth with their parents.

The team gave 55 teens with conduct disorder and substance use a one-page survey. The Youth Happiness with Parents Scale (YHPS) asks kids how happy they are with mom and dad in three hot spots: drugs, school, and illegal acts.

Kids circled a number from 1 (very unhappy) to 5 (very happy). No parents filled it out; only the teens spoke.

Teens said they were only a little happy about how parents handle drugs, school, and illegal acts. Yet, when asked about the whole parent relationship, they picked "moderately happy."

Age, race, or gender did not change the scores. The YHPS flagged the exact conflict areas in under two minutes.

Heald et al. (2020) saw the same split in kids with HFASD: parents report more problems than youth admit. Both papers warn you to collect both sides before writing goals.

Sheridan et al. (2023) found justice-involved youth and staff agreed on QABF scores. Cullinan et al. (2001) found low agreement on hot-button topics. The difference is the QABF asks about behavior functions, not feelings; youth agree on facts, not emotions.

Huang et al. (2014) showed family arguments hurt girls more than boys. Cullinan et al. (2001) did not test gender effects, so we still do not know if conflict hits these conduct-disordered boys the same way.

You now have a two-minute tool that tells you exactly where the parent-youth fire is burning. Use the YHPS at intake, pick the lowest score, and build your first parent training session around that topic. If drugs score lowest, teach parents to spot warning signs and set clear rules. The scale is free and needs no training, so you can start Monday.