Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire [PAFS-54]

Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire [PAFS-54]

Description

The Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire (PAFS-54) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess intergenerational relationship patterns within the family system. It focuses on personal authority, differentiation from the family of origin, conflict management, and the ability to maintain healthy relationships with parents.

Structure and Purpose

Developed by Bray, Williamson, and Malone (1984), the PAFS consists of 54 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. It includes four main subscales: INFUS (Individuation from Family of Origin), UNINT (Unresolved Intimacy Issues), ININIT (Intergenerational Intimacy), and NFTRI (Non-functional Triangulation).

Scoring and Reliability

Items are scored from 1 to 5, with specific items requiring reverse scoring. Subscale scores provide information about differentiation, intimacy, autonomy, and involvement in family triangulation.

The instrument demonstrates good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s α values ranging from 0.82 to 0.85 across the four subscales.

References

Bray JH, Williamson DS, Malone PE. Personal authority in the family system: Development of a questionnaire to measure personal authority in intergenerational family process. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 1984;10:167–178.

Triliva S, Zippa M. Adaptation and standardization of the PAFS in Greece. 2000.

Tags: PAFS-54, Personal Authority, Family Relationships, Intergenerational Relationships, Family System, Differentiation, Intimacy, Psychometric Assessment