THE USE OF A BIPOLAR ITEM FORMAT FOR FACES III: A RECONSIDERATION

FACES III, and cohesion, independence, and conflict scales form the Family Assessment Device, the Family Environment Scale and the Structural Family Interaction Scale-Revised were administered to 183 high school seniors and college freshmen. The results of polynomial regression analysis indicate FACES III is a linear measure of cohesion and adaptability. MANOVA findings are used to re-examine the suggestion that a bipolar item format is the only, or best, solution for turnig FACES III into a curvilinear measure of the Circumplex Model.     

A test of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems using the Clinical Rating Scale

Most studies of the Olson Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems have utilized a version of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES). Because FACES does not appear to operationalize the curvilinear dimension of the Circumplex Model, researchers have been pessimistic about the model's validity. However, the Clinical Rating Scale (CRS) has received some support as a curvilinear measure of the Circumplex Model. Therefore, we used the CRS rather than FACES to test the validity of the Circumplex Model hypotheses. Using a structural equation-modeling analytical approach, we found support for the hypotheses pertaining to the effects of cohesion and communication on family functioning. However, we found no support for the hypotheses pertaining to the concept of adaptability. We discuss these results in the context of previous studies of the Circumplex Model using FACES. Based on the collective findings, we propose a preliminary reformulation of the Circumplex Model.     

PROBLEM FAMILIES AND THE CIRCUMPLEX MODEL: OBSERVATIONAL ASSESSMENT USING THE CLINICAL RATING SCALE (CRS)

The validity, reliability, and curvilinearity of the Clinical Rating Scale (CRS) from the Circumplex Model were evaluated and the ability of the scale to discriminate between proble/clinical families and nonclinical families was tested on family cohesion, family adaptability, and family communication. Two groups of problem families were compared with two control groups. The study tested the main curvilinear hypothesis of the Circumplex Model that nonclinical families will have more Balanced system types than problem/clinical families. Conversely, problem/clinical families will have more Extreme system types than nonclinical families. Using the CRS, this hypothesis was strongly supported. Family satisfaction was used as a measure to investigate group differences further. As hypothesized, the two control groups had high levels of satisfaction, and the two problem family groups had significantly lower levels of family satisfaction. Overall, the CRS discriminated well between problem families who had more Extreme types on cohesion and adaptability and lower on communication and satisfaction than control families. Investigating different family structures (single-parent, blended, and traditional two-parent families) confirmed these findings. The study provided strong support for the curvilinear hypothesis that problem families are more frequently Extreme on both ends of the family cohesion and adaptability dimensions. It also revealed that the CRS has excellent validity and reliability.     

FACES IV and the Circumplex Model: validation study

Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) IV was developed to tap the full continuum of the cohesion and flexibility dimensions from the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. Six scales were developed, with two balanced scales and four unbalanced scales designed to tap low and high cohesion (disengaged and enmeshed) and flexibility (rigid and chaotic). The six scales in FACES IV were found to be reliable and valid. High levels of concurrent, construct, and discriminant validity were found and new ratio scores measure the balanced and unbalanced level of cohesion and flexibility. A clinical example on the use of FACES IV scores to assess family dynamics, plan the treatment, and determine the impact of family therapy is provided.     

A Methodological Study of Family Cohesion and Adaptability*

In an attempt to locate clinically and empirically useful tools to measure family cohesion and adaptability, a modified multitrait-multimethod analysis was used to assess the validity of four separate instruments. These instruments include SIMFAM, an adaptation of the Bowerman and Bahr Identification Scale, the Moos Family Environment Scale, and the Kvebaek Family Sculpture lest. The data support the Family Sculpture Test as a useful clinical and research tool for the measurement of family cohesion but not of adaptability.     

Contributions of Family Leisure to Family Functioning Among Transracial Adoptive Families

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine family leisure behavior among intact families with transracial adoptive children and make comparisons to a broad sample of families with only biological children. The sample consisted of 197 adoptive families. Data were analyzed from a parent, youth, and family perspective. The Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to determine family leisure involvement. FACES II was used to measure family functioning. Findings indicated that measures of family cohesion, family adaptability, and family functioning were higher among the adoptive family sample. Core, balance, and total family leisure involvement were also higher among the adoptive family sample. Multiple regression analyses indicated a positive relationship between family leisure and family functioning among this sample from the parent, youth, and family levels of measurement. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.     

Family Functioning and Its Relation to Parental Discipline

The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES) are one of the most used instruments in the study of family relations, assessing relevant dimensions of family functioning. This study aims to examine the relationship between cohesion, communication and family satisfaction, measured by FACES IV, and the dimensions of discipline inventory (DDI). The sample consisted of 380 subjects (190 adolescents and 190 parents). Fathers are the main users of physical discipline and boys are the main targets of most discipline practices. Regarding the association of the DDI and FACES, families with a balanced cohesion use less punitive discipline, families with enmeshed cohesion and families with disengaged cohesion have higher and less use of the analyzed disciplinary practices respectively. Considering the results, it may be useful to work together with families to promote the use of positive disciplinary methods and work their communication skills in order to improve cohesion and consequently family satisfaction.     

A PARTIAL INDEPENDENCE ITEM RESPONSE MODEL FOR SURVEYS WITH FILTER QUESTIONS

In many surveys, responses to earlier questions determine whether later questions are asked. The probability of an affirmative response to a given item is therefore nonzero only if the participant responded affirmatively to some set of logically prior items, known as "filter items." In such surveys, the usual conditional independence assumption of standard item response models fails. A weaker "partial independence" assumption may hold, however, if an individual's responses to different items are independent conditional on the item parameters, the individual's latent trait, and the participant's affirmative responses to each of a set of filter items. In this paper, we propose an item response model for such "partially independent" item response data. We model such item response patterns as a function of a person-specific latent trait and a set of item parameters. Our model can be seen as a generalized hybrid of a discrete-time hazard model and a Rasch model. The proposed procedure yields estimates of (1) person-specific, interval-scale measures of a latent trait (or traits), along with person-specific standard errors of measurement; (2) conditional and marginal item severities for each item in a protocol; (3) person-specific conditional and marginal probabilities of an affirmative response to each item in a protocol; and (4) item information and total survey information. In addition, we show here how to investigate and test alternative conceptions of the dimensionality of the latent trait(s) being measured. Finally, we compare our procedure with a simpler alternative approach to summarizing data of this type.     

Family systems functioning,family health roles,and utilization of physical health services

The purpose of the study reported here is to determine the relationship between family systems functioning, family health role, and family utilization of health services. The research is based in the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems (Olson, Sprenkle, & Russel, 1979). Family functioning variables include family level of cohesion, family adaptability, and family type, as measured by FACES II. Family health role (i.e., leadership role and acceptance of sick role) and utilization of health services are measured by scales of the investigator-developed Family Health Questionnaire. The sample consists of 140 parents of 70 families, composed of two parents with children under 25 years of age living at home. Analysis reveals significant relationships between the family level of adaptability and acceptance of the sick role, in conjunction with significant gender and gender interaction effects. There are no significant differences between family cohesion levels or family typologies with the health variables.Su An Arnn Phipps is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing Graduate Program, Tulsa, 700 N. Greenwood, Tulsa, OK 74106. Her research interests include family systems functioning and family physical health, couples' infertility experience, and fathers' role(s) in family health. She received her Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in Family Relations and Child Development.     

An item response theory investigation of the Family Assessment Form

Drawing from a sample obtained from a large scale, community-based child maltreatment prevention initiative, factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) were used to examine item discrimination and to identify items on the Family Assessment Form (FAF) that statistically do not add value for predictive modeling. Results suggest a consolidated, six-factor structure in general accordance with the current configuration of the instrument. In addition, 13 of the 59 items are identified as low information, indicating that they do not contribute unique measurement information regarding the underlying dimensions of the FAF. Findings suggest that from a statistical measurement perspective, the FAF can be shortened and retain its internal validity, although from a functional assessment perspective, certain items may need to be retained for comprehensive family assessment and case planning.     

Interviewing undocumented immigrants: methodological reflections based on fieldwork in Mexico and the U.S

"This article discusses data collection methods and basic issues of research strategy in field studies of unapprehended illegal immigrants living in the United States. It suggests ways to increase the reliability and validity of interview responses. Necessary modifications in format and style of interviews are described. An annotated bibliography of recent field studies of undocumented immigrants is provided."     

Psychometric Testing of the FACES III with Rural Adolescents

This study tests the validity and reliability of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale III (FACES III) in two samples of rural adolescents. The underlying theory is the linear 3-D circumplex model. The FACES III was administered to 1,632 adolescents in Grades 7 through 12 in two counties in a rural western state. The FACES III Scale and the Cohesion Scale demonstrated high internal consistency, although the Cohesion Scale was more consistently predictive of self-esteem and higher in internal consistency than was the Adaptability Scale. Findings confirmed previous methodological critiques regarding linearity, the correlation of factors, and internal consistency. The presence of two orthogonal factors was consistent with the original 3-D circumplex model, but items from the Adaptability Scale relating to changing of rules for children's roles and egalitarianism tended to be problematic.     

HOW NOT TO DO SCIENCE

Douglas Marshall's critique of Donald Black states the essential issues with Black's "theory." This article is concerned with the philosophy of science background to the issues with Black's claims, and presents the core issues as they have been normally and historically understood. These include the following: that the theory is literally false, and is not defensible as an approximation; that the magnitudes to which his "geometry" refers are not magnitudes according to standard measurement theory: that the form of the theory precludes testing by correlational evidence. Moreover, the phenomena are better accounted for by cognitive rather than "pure" sociological explainers.     

Reaction time and item presentation factors in the self-report of partner aggression

The Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) have used different formats intended to maximize the accuracy and disclosure of relationship aggression. The original CTS presented items in a hierarchical order, seeking to establish a "context of legitimation." The CTS2 presented items in an interspersed order to reduce denial response sets. The current study used computer administration of the CTS and sought to determine whether the two presentation formats described above result in differing self-reports of aggression and to explore possible causes of such an effect, such as differences in reaction time. Results indicated that item order did not significantly affect reports of aggression, but increasing participants' reaction times by experimental manipulation of the minimum item display duration resulted in increased self-reports of aggression.     

Negative Communication Behaviors During Family Problem Solving: Cohesion as a Moderator in a Growth Curve Analysis

Using archived data a multilevel model examined change in negative communication behaviors of three family members (mother, father and preadolescent) across four sequential family problem solving sessions in the home. The sample included 756 problem-solving sessions, nested within 189 individuals, within 63 families. Basic tenets of family therapy were used to examine the effect of the occasions of measurement, revealing that communication was less negative when the adolescent selected the problem. The individual level analysis was guided by a conflict structure perspective that found adolescents (in general) showed more negative communication behaviors than parents. At the family level, scores on the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III) were significantly related to changes in negative communication behaviors. A significant interaction between FACES III scores and negative communication behaviors showed negativity increased across sessions in families that scored lower on the FACES III, but decreased in families that scored higher.     

Cohesion and Adaptability in Post-Divorce Remarried and First Married Families:

Past research indicates that post-divorce remarried families report lower levels of family cohesion and adaptability than do first married families, but differences are not found in the adjustment of children or satisfaction with the marital relationship. The present study examined the possibilities that (a) lower levels of cohesion and adaptability may be optimal for remarried families, (b) cohesion and adaptability may be less important for coping and stress in stepfamilies than in first married families, and (c) patterns of relationships between the two sets of variables may be different for the two family types. A series of analyses relating cohesion and adaptability to family stress and coping styles revealed that high levels of family cohesion and adaptability are equally if not more important for stepfamilies as they are for biological families in reference to family stress and coping.     

Observational Measure of Elder Self-Neglect

The purpose of this study was to improve measurement of elder self-neglect by testing the psychometric properties of the Elder Self-Neglect Assessment (ESNA). Social workers, case managers, and adult protective services providers from 13 Illinois agencies completed a 77-item assessment for 215 clients suffering from self neglect. Analyses used Rasch item response theory and traditional validation approaches to test for dimensionality, model fit, and additional construct validation, resulting in a 62-item assessment. The ESNA met Rasch fit criteria with good internal consistency, item reliability, and construct validity. A 25-item short form also met Rasch criteria. A hierarchy of items associated with severity of abuse was produced by frequency of occurrence. ESNA indicators of self-neglect align into two broad categories: behavioral characteristics and environmental factors, which must be accounted for in a comprehensive evaluation. Theoretical refinements developed using the empirically generated item hierarchy may help to improve assessment and intervention.     

Do the Constructs of the FACES IV Change Based on Definitions of “Family?” A Measurement Invariance Test

The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES) IV does not provide instructions about which family members respondents should think about while answering questions. This study examined which family members respondents thought about while completing the FACES IV, and if this changed measurement invariance and population heterogeneity of the measure. Using a sample of n = 511 individuals, a latent class analysis showed three distinct classes: Nuclear Family, Family of Origin, and All of the Above. The FACES IV demonstrated measurement invariance across classes on the majority of subscales; however, population heterogeneity tests suggested that the means and variances of the subscales varied across classes. The findings suggest further examination of how the measure functions with unique family constellations is warranted.     

A Comparison of Three Brand Evaluation Procedures

The paper reports an empirical examination of the results, reliability,and validity of three attitude measurement procedures—open-ended,paired comparison, and monadic rating. Significant differencesamong the three approaches were found in the evaluation of twobrands on a number of attitudinal dimensions with respect tojudgment of "both brands are alike" and the evaluation of "brandA vs. brand B."