Intimacy and individuation in young adults: Development of the young adult version of the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire.

Reports a series of studies on the development of the young adult version of the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire (PAFS-QVC). The instrument includes 7 scales measuring individuation-fusion, intimacy-isolation, and personal authority-intimidation. In Study 1 (N?=?321 college students), exploratory factor analyses evaluated the conceptual scales and items. The theoretical scales were generally confirmed. Study 2 (N?=?712 college students) replicated the findings from Study 1 using confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was established through correlations with other measures of family relationships and psychological functioning. The PAFS-QVC discriminated between clinical and nonclinical samples, and gender differences were noted on the PAFS-QVC. Implications for use of the instrument in psychotherapy and intergenerational family systems theory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)