Family Assessment Comparison
Different assessment examines different features of an individual, or similar assessments examine similar features in different ways. Three assessments that regard family conditions and that are considered important are, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III), the Family Assessment Device (FAD), and the Self-report Family Inventory (SFI).
When completing the assessments and interpreting the results, I realized that there were various accurate elements I always saw in my family, and now they were proved over a simple questionnaire. However, some other elements, I found a little bit confusing, and I am still not so sure whether they are that accurate.
The Self-Report Family Inventory’s (SFI’s) purpose, is to ‘assess an individual’s perception of his/her family’s functioning” (Beavers, Hampson, & Hulgus, 1990). It contains 36 items, assessing 5 areas: Health/Competence, Conflict, Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Leadership. “This instrument is the self-report adaptation of the Beavers Model of Family Functioning” (Beavers et al., 1985 as mentioned in Beavers, Hampson, & Hulgus, 1990). The respondents are asked to rate each statement (e.g., We all have a say in household plans) on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (fits our household very well) to 5 (doesn't fit our household at all). For each numbered item, the score was filled from the SFI, and the numbers were added in order to receive the final score for each category. In order to interpret the results two instruments are required, an Inventory Sheet and a Beavers model table. Some scores are directly read from the Inventory Sheet while the rest required a plot of the scores on the vertical and horizontal axes of the Beavers model of family functioning table. The SFI, could be considered similar to the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III), since they both require tables for the interpretation of their results. In contrast with the Family Assessment Device
When completing the assessments and interpreting the results, I realized that there were various accurate elements I always saw in my family, and now they were proved over a simple questionnaire. However, some other elements, I found a little bit confusing, and I am still not so sure whether they are that accurate.
The Self-Report Family Inventory’s (SFI’s) purpose, is to ‘assess an individual’s perception of his/her family’s functioning” (Beavers, Hampson, & Hulgus, 1990). It contains 36 items, assessing 5 areas: Health/Competence, Conflict, Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Leadership. “This instrument is the self-report adaptation of the Beavers Model of Family Functioning” (Beavers et al., 1985 as mentioned in Beavers, Hampson, & Hulgus, 1990). The respondents are asked to rate each statement (e.g., We all have a say in household plans) on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (fits our household very well) to 5 (doesn't fit our household at all). For each numbered item, the score was filled from the SFI, and the numbers were added in order to receive the final score for each category. In order to interpret the results two instruments are required, an Inventory Sheet and a Beavers model table. Some scores are directly read from the Inventory Sheet while the rest required a plot of the scores on the vertical and horizontal axes of the Beavers model of family functioning table. The SFI, could be considered similar to the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III), since they both require tables for the interpretation of their results. In contrast with the Family Assessment Device
References: Beavers, W. R., Hampson, R. and Hulgus, Y. 1990, Self-Report Family Inventory, Retrieved from: http://www.iprc.unc.edu/longscan/pages/measures/Ages5to11/Selfport%20Family%20Inventory.pdf Epstein, N.B., Bishop, D. S., & Levin, S. (1978). The McMaster Model of Family Functioning. Hampson, R., Hulgus, Y., & Beavers, W. (1991). Comparisons of self-report measures of the Beavers Systems Model and Olson 's Circumplex Model. Journal of Family Psychology, 4(3), 326-340. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.4.3.326. Olson, D. E., & Gorall, D. M. (2003). Circumplex model of marital and family systems. http://www.buildingrelationships.com/pdf/circumplex_article.pdf