Version 1
: Received: 11 September 2024 / Approved: 11 September 2024 / Online: 12 September 2024 (13:12:08 CEST)
How to cite:
Tsoutsi, V.; Dikeos, D. Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations. Preprints2024, 2024090931. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0931.v1
Tsoutsi, V.; Dikeos, D. Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations. Preprints 2024, 2024090931. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0931.v1
Tsoutsi, V.; Dikeos, D. Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations. Preprints2024, 2024090931. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0931.v1
APA Style
Tsoutsi, V., & Dikeos, D. (2024). Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0931.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Tsoutsi, V. and Dimitris Dikeos. 2024 "Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0931.v1
Abstract
Existing scales assessing family relations are usually quite long. Our aim was to develop and validate the Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale (FFCS), a self-reported short instrument consisting of 14 items. The validation of the FFCS was based on its administration through an online platform to 481 subjects living in 46 different countries around the world. Cronbach's alpha was 0.85 (ranging from 0.83 to 0.86 if any one item was deleted), signifying high internal consistency. The scale can be considered as a sole factor based on its high consistency, while factor analysis produced three factors corresponding to “communication”, “anger/resentment/aggression” and “values and beliefs”. Test-retest reliability correlation coefficient was found to be 0.88 at a 2-week interval. As far as external validity is concerned, the correlation coefficient of the FFCS with the General Functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) was 0.83. The high measures of consistency, reliability, and validity of the FFCS, combined with its short length, make it an invaluable tool for use in research as well as in any professional dealing with families in the clinical fields of psychiatry, psychology, social work or any other relevant specialty.
Keywords
Family cohesion; intrafamily relations; family functioning; scale
Subject
Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Mental Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
