A confirmative clinimetric analysis of the 36-item Family Assessment Device

TY - JOUR

T1 - A confirmative clinimetric analysis of the 36-item Family Assessment Device

AU - Timmerby, Nina

AU - Cosci, Fiammetta

AU - Watson, Maggie

AU - Csillag, Claudio

AU - Schmitt, Florence

AU - Steck, Barbara

AU - Bech, Per

AU - Thastum, Mikael

PY - 2018/5/19

Y1 - 2018/5/19

N2 - BACKGROUND: The Family Assessment Device (FAD) is a 60-item questionnaire widely used to evaluate self-reported family functioning. However, the factor structure as well as the number of items has been questioned. A shorter and more user-friendly version of the original FAD-scale, the 36-item FAD, has therefore previously been proposed, based on findings in a nonclinical population of adults.AIMS: We aimed in this study to evaluate the brief 36-item version of the FAD in a clinical population.METHODS: Data from a European multinational study, examining factors associated with levels of family functioning in adult cancer patients' families, were used. Both healthy and ill parents completed the 60-item version FAD. The psychometric analyses conducted were Principal Component Analysis and Mokken-analysis.RESULTS: A total of 564 participants were included. Based on the psychometric analysis we confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD has robust psychometric properties and can be used in clinical populations.CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD (18 items assessing 'well-being' and 18 items assessing 'dysfunctional' family function) is a brief scale where the summed total score is a valid measure of the dimensions of family functioning. This shorter version of the FAD is, in accordance with the concept of 'measurement-based care', an easy to use scale that could be considered when the aim is to evaluate self-reported family functioning.

AB - BACKGROUND: The Family Assessment Device (FAD) is a 60-item questionnaire widely used to evaluate self-reported family functioning. However, the factor structure as well as the number of items has been questioned. A shorter and more user-friendly version of the original FAD-scale, the 36-item FAD, has therefore previously been proposed, based on findings in a nonclinical population of adults.AIMS: We aimed in this study to evaluate the brief 36-item version of the FAD in a clinical population.METHODS: Data from a European multinational study, examining factors associated with levels of family functioning in adult cancer patients' families, were used. Both healthy and ill parents completed the 60-item version FAD. The psychometric analyses conducted were Principal Component Analysis and Mokken-analysis.RESULTS: A total of 564 participants were included. Based on the psychometric analysis we confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD has robust psychometric properties and can be used in clinical populations.CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD (18 items assessing 'well-being' and 18 items assessing 'dysfunctional' family function) is a brief scale where the summed total score is a valid measure of the dimensions of family functioning. This shorter version of the FAD is, in accordance with the concept of 'measurement-based care', an easy to use scale that could be considered when the aim is to evaluate self-reported family functioning.

KW - Adult

KW - Family/psychology

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Neoplasms/psychology

KW - Psychometrics/instrumentation

KW - Reproducibility of Results

KW - Self Report/standards

U2 - 10.1080/08039488.2018.1435721

DO - 10.1080/08039488.2018.1435721

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29411685

SN - 0803-9488

VL - 72

SP - 268

EP - 272

JO - Nordic Journal of Psychiatry

JF - Nordic Journal of Psychiatry

IS - 4

ER -