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Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Most available scales for assessing family relationships are lengthy. Our aim was to develop and validate the Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale (FFCS), a self-reported, short instrument consisting of 14 items. The FFCS was validated through its administration to 481 subjects via an online platform. 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". The test-retest reliability correlation coefficient was found to be 0.88 at a 2-week interval. Regarding external validity, 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 a most valuable tool for use by researchers as well as by professionals dealing with families in psychiatry, psychology, social work, or other related fields.

Source: Behavioral Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/bs14100969

Authors: Vagioula Tsoutsi, Dimitris Dikeos

Institutions: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,501