Psychometric Properties of a New Family Life Satisfaction Scale
Abstract
Summary: A scale of bipolar adjectives, the Family Satisfaction by Adjectives Scale (F.S.A.S.), is presented, consisting of 27 items designed to measure family satisfaction, mainly related to the affective connotation derived from family interaction. After applying the scale to a sample of 274 subjects and 16 patients in family therapy, we obtained (a) acceptable indicators of internal consistency (α = .976) and temporal stability (rxx = 0.758), (b) clear evidence of unidimensionality, (c) significant linear correlations with other measures of family satisfaction (Family Satisfaction, Olson & Wilson, 1982; Family Satisfaction Scale, Carver, & Jones, 1992), and (d) significant differences between a normal sample and a clinical one.
References
References
Amato, P.R. (1988). Parental divorce and attitudes toward marriage and family life. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 453– 461Anderson, L.W. (1990). Attitudes and their measurement. In J.P. Keeves (Ed.), Educational research, methodology and measurement: An international handbook (pp. 421-426). Oxford: PergamonAndrews, I.M. Withey, S.B. (1976). Social indicators of well being. American perceptions of life quality . New York: PlenumAntonovsky, A. Sourani, T. (1988). Family sense of coherence and family adaptation. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 79– 92Ávila, A. Giménez de la Peña, A. (1991). Adjectives in psychological assessment tasks: Instruments and applications in the psychology of emotion and personality. Evaluación Psicológica/Psychological Assessment, 7, 307– 331Babbie, E.R. (1979). The practice of social research . Belmont, CA: WadsworthBarbarin, O.A. (1996). Family Relations Scale . Unpublished manuscript. Ann Arbor, MI: Assessment Psychometrika, Family Development Project, University of MichiganBarraca Mairal, J. (1997). Permanencia de los jóvenes en el hogar paterno: estudio de su satisfacción familiar desde un modelo integrador . [The life of young adults in the family home: A study of family satisfaction from a global model]. Doctoral thesis. Madrid: Universidad Pontificia ComillasBarraca Mairal, J. López Yarto, L. (1997). ESFA. Escala de Satisfacción Familiar por adjetivos . [ESFA. A scale of family satisfaction by adjectives]. Madrid: TEA EdicionesBeavers, W.R. Hampson, R.B. (1995). Familias existosas. Evaluación, tratamiento e intervención . [Satisfactory families: Assessment, counseling, and intervention]. Buenos Aires: PaidósBlechman, E.A. (1990). A new look at emotions and the family: A model of effective family communication. In E.A. Blechman (Ed.), Emotions and the family: For better or for worse (pp. 201-224). Hillsdale, NJ: ErlbaumBloom, B.L. (1985). A factor analysis of self report measures of family functioning. Family Process, 24, 225– 239Bradburn, N.M. (1969). The structure of psychological well being . Chicago: AldineCaldwell, S.M. (1988). Measuring family well being: Conceptual model, reliability, validity, and use. In C.F. Waltz, & O.L. Strickland (Eds.), Measurement of clinical and educational nursing outcomes Vol. 1: Client centered outcomes. New York: Springer-VerlagCampbell, A. Converse, P.E. Rodgers, W.L. (1976). The quality of american life: Perceptions, assessments and satisfactions . New York: Russell Sage FoundationCarver, M.D. Jones, W.H. (1992). The Family Satisfaction Scale. Social Behavior and Personality, 20, 71– 84Daley, J.G. Sowers Hoag, K. Thyer, B.A. (1990). Are FACES II “family satisfaction” scores valid?. Journal of Family Therapy, 12, 77– 81Diener, E. Sandvick, E. Pavot, W. (1991). Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive versus negative affect. In F. Strack, M. Argyle, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Subjective well being. An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 119-139). Oxford: PergamonEpstein, N.B. Baldwin, L.M. Bishop, D.S. (1983). The McMaster Family Assessment Device. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 9, 171– 180Fine, M.A. (1986). Perceptions of stepparents: Variation in stereotypes as a function of current family structure. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 537– 543Fluitt, M.S. Paradise, L.V. (1991). The relationship of current family structures to young adults' perceptions of stepparents. Journal of Divorce, & Remarriage, 15, 159– 174Guerney, B.G. (1977). Relationship enhancement: Skill training programs for therapy, problem prevention, and enrichment . San Francisco: Jossey BassHenry, C.S. Ostrander, D.L. Lovelace, S.G. (1992). Reliability and validity of the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index. Psychological Reports, 70, 1223– 1229Lummerts, J.G. Biaggio, A.M. (1987). Desenvolvimento de uma escala para medir o nivel de satisfaçao do adolescente em sua familia [Construction of a scale to measure adolescents' satisfaction level in their families]. Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa, 3, 124– 137Martínez Arias, R. (1995). Psicometría: Teoría de los tests psicológicos y educativos . [Psychometric methods: Theory of psychological and educational testing]. Madrid: SíntesisMcCollum, E.E. Schumm, W.R. Russell, C.S. (1988). Reliability and validity of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale in a predominantly middle aged sample. Psychological Reports, 62, 95– 98Moos, R.H. Moos, B.S. (1986). Family Environment Scale Manual . Palo Alto, CA: Consulting PsychologistOlson, D.H. (1979). Circumplex model of marital and family systems: I. Cohesion and adaptability dimensions, family types, and clinical applications. Family Process, 18, 3– 28Olson, D.H. (1991). Commentary: Three dimensional (3-D) circumplex model and revised scoring of FACES III. Family Process, 30, 74– 79Olson, D.H. McCubbin, H.I. Barnes, H.L. Larsen, A.S. Muxen, M.J. Wilson, M.A. (1989). Families: What makes them work . Newbury Park, CA: SageOlson, D.H. McCubbin, H.I. Barnes, H.L. Larsen, A.S. Muxen, M.J. Wilson, M.A. (1992). Family inventories . St. Paul, MN: Family Social Science, University of MinnesotaOlson, D.H. Portner, J. Lavee, Y. (1985). Family Adaptability and Cohesion Assessment Scales II . St. Paul, MN: Family Social Science, University of MinnesotaOlson, D.H. Wilson, M.A. (1982). Family Satisfaction Scale. In D.H. Olson, H.I. McCubbin, H.L. Barnes, A.S. Larsen, M.J. Muxen, & M.A. Wilson (Eds.), Family Inventories. (pp. 25-31) St. Paul, MN: Family Social Science, University of MinnesotaPless, I.B. Satterwhite, B. (1973). A measure of family functioning and its application. Social Science, & Medicine, 7, 613– 621Sarason, I.G. Levine, H.M. Basham, R.B. Sarason, B.P. (1983). Assessing social support: The Social Support Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 127– 139Schumm, W.R. McCollum, E.E. Bugaighis, M.A. Jurich, A.P. Bollman, S.R. (1986). Characteristics of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale in a regional sample. Psychological Reports, 58, 975– 980Schwarz, N. Strack, F. (1991). Evaluating one's life: A judgment model of subjective well being. In F. Strack, M. Argyle, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Subjective well being. An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 27-47). Oxford: PergamonSigafoos, A. Reiss, D. Rich, J. Douglas, E. (1985). Pragmatics in the measurement of family functioning: An interpretative framework for methodology. Family Process, 24, 189– 203Van Der Veen, F. Huebner, B. Jorgens, B. Neja, P. (1964). Relationships between the parent's concept of the family and family adjustment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 34, 45– 55