THE ROLE OF TIME FRAME IN THE ASSESSMENT OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING |
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Authors: | Theodore Jacob |
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Affiliation: | Theodore Jacob, PhD, is a Research Career Scientist at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center, 3801 Miranda Avenue (151J), Palo Alto, CA 94304. This research was supported by NIAAA Grant 1-R01-AA08486 and by a Research Career Scientist Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs. |
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Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the stated time frame of family questionnaires can influence the individual's report of family events and relationships. Three whole-family assessment procedures were administered to a large sample of intact families under two conditions—when the respondent was asked to describe his/her family "in general" and "during the past week". Major findings indicated that (a) reports of family relationships reflected the same overall evaluation regardless of time frame, (b) the number or degree of positive endorsements was greater on the "in general" than the "past week" format, and (c) the impact of time frame varied greatly as a function of instrument. Explanations and implications of these findings are discussed. |
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