Levels of family assessment: I. Family, marital, and parent–child interaction.

Families are complicated systems to assess and quantify, requiring that decisions be made regarding where to focus research. The authors examined 3 levels of family interaction: marital, parent–child, and whole family. Instruments included the McMaster Structured Interview of Family Functioning, the Family Assessment Device, the Mealtime Interaction Coding System, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the Parent/Caregiver Involvement Scale. Results suggest that each measure, representing a unique combination of family level, informant, and setting, contained both independent variance and information redundant with other measures characterizing the family. The strengths of using a theoretical base, in this case the McMaster model of family functioning, and a multimeasure approach arc discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family Involvement Questionnaire: A multivariate assessment of family participation in early childhood education.

The study developed and evaluated the Family Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ), a multidimensional scale of family involvement in early childhood education. The FIQ was guided by theory and coconstructed with parents and teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and 1st-grade programs in a large urban school district. Demographic and FIQ data were collected from 641 parents. Factor analyses revealed 3 involvement constructs: school-based involvement, home-school conferencing, and home-based involvement. Multivariate analyses of demographic and program differences in these constructs revealed that parents with education beyond high school were engaged in higher levels of school-based involvement and home-school conferencing than parents with less than high school education. There were higher levels of home-school conferencing and home-based involvement in 2-parent families than in single-parent households. Head Start evidenced the highest levels of school-based involvement activity. However, higher school-based contact was not associated with higher levels of home-school conferencing or home-based involvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interrater agreement in dimensionality and combination of assessment center judgments.

The present study represents an attempt to examine the interrater reliability of assessment center ratings, the dimensionality of those ratings, the consistency of that dimensionality across raters, and the rater's combination of information to arrive at an overall rating. Before- and after-discussion ratings by 4 assessors of 101 potential middle managers on 17 judgmental dimensions were intercorrelated and subjected to principal-components and regression analyses. Results indicate high interrater reliability along with a great degree of similarity across raters in the perceived dimensionality of ratings. Three dimensions—administrative skills, interpersonal skills, and activity level—were the major determinants of overall ratings for all 4 raters. Test scores did not greatly affect overall ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family psychology and family therapy in Japan.

The development of family psychology and family therapy in Japan has occurred mostly since the 1980s. This development was originally activated by the major social issue in contemporary Japan of school refusal, in which more than 127,000 children either overtly refuse to or claim that they cannot go to school. From a family perspective, this problem is analyzed as it relates to the confusion that children experience from unbalanced and unclear boundaries in family relations or "membranes." An approach to family therapy that adapts systems theory and integrates a clay sculpting medium has been developed to work with Japanese families confronting this problem. The design and implementation of preventative family psychology programs applied at the community level are also an important part of the future development in these fields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theory and assessment in family psychology: Weak links.

Explores 3 possible reasons for the failure of the link between theory and assessment in family psychology. A primary reason for the failure is a lack of a multilevel unified theory of family functioning. A 2nd reason is that, in addition to multiple, uncoordinated theories, many family constructs are not yet refined enough for behavioral definitions. A 3rd problem in the connection of family theory to family assessment is the lack of attention to the measurement of change in family variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family psychology and family law--a family court judge's perspective: Comment on the special issue.

This comment presents the responses of an experienced family court judge to the eight articles published in this special issue. The value of these scholarly articles to family court judges is enormous. Judges have little, if any, formal training in family dynamics and child development, yet are called upon to make rulings in complex cases that have life-long ramifications for all family members. The changing demographics and current realities of traditional and nontraditional family structures in our society as well as the increasing divorce rates have widened the gap between legal precedence and current social science research. It is essential that the material covered in this issue can be accessible to family law personnel in language that they can understand and learn from. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family psychology and family law: Introduction to the special issue.

This special issue of the Journal of Family Psychology evolved from the work of the Forensic Task Force of Division 43, American Psychological Association, members of which have been studying and working with the emerging, complex issues occurring at the intersection of family psychology and family law. This issue is an endeavor to bring together current research and paradigm development that has relevance not only to family psychologists who have expertise in systems and developmental theories but also to forensic psychologists who have expertise in individual assessment but may lack experience in a systems-ecological framework. A primary goal of this special issue is to introduce readers to new and emerging opportunities for research and practice in the areas where family psychology and family law overlap. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Insiders' and outsiders' views of family: The assessment of family competence and style.

110 intact families (53 nonclinical, 57 clinical) completed a self-report family inventory (W. R. Beavers et al; see record 1986-15035-001) and were rated by observers on family interactional competence and style scales. Across the entire sample, significant levels of correspondence were found between conceptually related aspects of family functioning across insider (family) and outsider (observer) ratings. Insider and outsider ratings of family style were less directly related. Adolescents showed greater correspondence between their views of family health, conflict, and cohesion and those of outside observers' perceptions of the family's health and style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Compensation satisfaction: Its measurement and dimensionality.

This research examined the influence of contextual variables on the factor structure of Heneman and Schwab's (1985) Pay Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) and further explored the dimensionality of the compensation satisfaction construct. The PSQ is intended to measure four aspects of compensation: pay level, pay raises, pay structure-administration, and benefits. Previous research showed support for the pay level and benefit subscales, with equivocal results for the raises and structure-administration subscales. In this study, using data obtained from 1,007 employees of a manufacturing firm and 95 nursing home employees, we found that PSQ factor structure varied by employee job classification (salaried-exempt, salaried nonexempt, and hourly) and may also vary by other contextual factors such as company labor-relations compensation policy. The question of the underlying dimensionality of the compensation satisfaction construct cannot be adequately addressed by use of the current version of the PSQ. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selected views of family assessment: A commentary.

Comments on articles concerning family assessment by H. D. Grotevant (see record 1990-12120-001); R. B. Hampson et al (see record 1990-12122-001); D. C. Bell and L. G. Bell (see record 1990-12106-001); C. I. Carlson (see record 1990-12110-001); and T. L. Huston and J. K. Rempel (see record 1990-12126-001). It is suggested that theory needs to be related to research and practice more consistently. It would be useful to identify the principle theories in family science and critically examine the unique assessment issues raised by each perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Levels of family assessment: II. Impact of maternal psychopathology on family functioning.

The association of maternal and contextual risk factors with whole-family, marital, and parent–child levels of family functioning was examined. Maternal mental illness and multiple contextual risk best predicted whole-family functioning, but each was related to marital and parent–child levels as well. Nonspecific indicators of maternal illness, rather than diagnostic category, were the better predictors of family functioning. The multiple contextual risk index was the variable most associated with all levels of family functioning, more so than any indicator of maternal illness. These results indicate (a) that maternal mental illness and family functioning are strongly associated and (b) that variation in the conceptualization and measurement strategy for risk and family functioning affects the conclusions of research. The importance of clear conceptualization of family levels and psychopathology risk in families of young children is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exclusion of children from family psychotherapy: Family therapists' beliefs and practices.

Surveyed 173 family therapists on beliefs and practices regarding the decision to exclude children from family psychotherapy (FPT). The tendency to exclude children from FPT was directly related to amount of coursework and supervision and perceived adequacy of training. 48 of 125 Ss who had received training with children reported that more than 25% of their practice involved children. Only 5 of 40 Ss who had not received such training reported this to be true. Similar results were found for adequacy of training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in masculinity and femininity across the family life cycle: A reexamination.

Rather than remaining fixed once adulthood is reached, such personality characteristics as masculinity and femininity have been shown to fluctuate systematically as a function of the individual's current family lifestage (i.e., cohabiting, married, expecting a first child, parenthood; Abrahams, Feldman, & Nash, 1978; Feldman, Biringen, & Nash, 1981). These workers concluded that the anticipation and presence of children have strong consequences for the masculinity and femininity of their parents. However, findings from 582 Australian survey respondents showed that the individual's involvement in the adult world of work and study has a greater impact on his or her masculinity and femininity scores than a nurturant role toward children. In a combined sample of dating, cohabiting, and married couples and divorced partners, employed women had lower femininity, and their male partners slightly lower masculinity, than nonemployed women and their partners, respectively. Women engaged in tertiary study had lower femininity scores than women who were not. It is concluded that previous studies in this area may have been too hasty in identifying the presence or absence of children as the key feature of the family life cycle affecting masculinity and femininity, instead of the employment or education of the female partner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality assessment across selection and development contexts: Insights into response distortion.

Insight into applicant intentional distortion on personality measures was obtained by comparing individual responses provided in an organizational context with high motivation to distort (selection) and those provided in an organizational context with low motivation to distort (development). An assessment firm database containing responses to the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) was searched for within-subject data. Seven hundred and thirteen individuals were identified as having completed the CPI twice: once for selection purposes and once for development purposes or twice for the same purpose. Scale-score analyses both within and across contexts revealed a limited degree of response distortion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family burden and family stigma in major mental illness.

Discusses the stresses and burdens on families of mentally ill (MI) individuals, including stigmatization, and problems in dealing with mental health (MH) professionals. Converging historical events, new biogenetic research findings; widening recognition of the dimensions of family burden; deinstitutionalization, have led to a reconceptualization of the family role. The growth and influence of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill have also been part of the historical process and have contributed to the new respect for families of MI individuals. The new and collaborative model of clinician–family relationships has done much to destigmatize families, to reorient the thinking of many MH professionals, and to alleviate the burden of families of MI individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping with illness: Interrelationships across family members and predictors of psychological adjustment.

This study examined coping in families in which there was a chronically ill parent. Husbands, wives, and one child (aged 7–18 yrs) from 75 families in which the husband had hemophilia participated. Coping styles and psychological adjustment were assessed, and patterns of coping among family members were examined. Avoidant coping was associated with poorer adjustment for all family members. In addition, the coping style of one family member was found to be related to the psychological adjustment of other family members. Avoidant coping by one spouse related to poorer psychological functioning in the other spouse, and avoidant coping by either parent related to greater child adjustment problems for girls and boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family dynamics across pregnant Latina adolescents' transition to parenthood.

Growth curve models were conducted on assessments of family functioning at four time points from the third-trimester of pregnancy through the first year postpartum for 96 Latino families in which an adolescent daughter was pregnant. Results indicated significant family-level change following an adolescent's childbearing, though there were notable differences between family members in their perceptions of family functioning. Family conflict, as perceived by parenting teens, increased in the latter half of the first year after an initial decline, and family companionship (as rated by mothers and siblings) decreased. Parenting adolescents and siblings perceived significant increases in family cohesion, whereas mothers perceived a significant decline. Unplanned pregnancies, family financial hardship, and expected stress predicted unfavorable family functioning at 1 year. Contrary to expectations, adolescents' greater prenatal efforts to prepare for parenting predicted subsequent family conflict and declines in family cohesion (particularly as rated by mothers). Family members' acculturation level and attitudes of familism, gender roles, and the status attained by parenthood also had predictive effects. Implications of study findings for family adjustment following an adolescent's childbearing are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family and professional perceptions of family needs and coping strengths.

Compared the results of a national survey of the needs and coping strengths of 231 families with members who have a psychiatric disability (FPDs) with the results of a survey of 93 mental health professionals' (MHPs) perceptions of families' satisfaction with mental health services and activities. Results indicate that there were wide differences in the perceptions of the 2 groups. FPDs had a high level of dissatisfaction, whereas MHPs perceived FPDs as satisfied with these same services and activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family support, family income, and happiness: A 10-year perspective.

This study examined the role of 2 central aspects of family life--income and social support--in predicting concurrent happiness and change in happiness among 274 married adults across a 10-year period. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to investigate the relationship between family income and happiness. Income had a small, positive impact on happiness, which diminished as income increased. In contrast, family social support, measured by 3 subscales, Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Conflict, showed a substantial, positive association with concurrent happiness, even after controlling for income. Furthermore, family income moderated the association between family social support and concurrent happiness; family social support was more strongly associated with happiness when family income was low than when family income was high. In addition, change in family social support was positively related to change in happiness, whereas change in family income was unrelated to change in happiness. These findings suggest that happiness can change and underscore the importance of exploring more deeply the role that family relationships play in facilitating such change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)