Subscale Analysis

The 12-item General Functioning Subscale is a shorter self-report version of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), developed by Epstein and colleagues (1983). It is based on the McMaster Model of Family Functioning (Epstein et al., 1978) and assesses family functioning across six dimensions: Communication, Roles, Affective Responsiveness, Affective Involvement, Problem Solving, and Behavioral Control. There is also a seventh dimension that evaluates General Family Functioning.

Subscale Objective

The primary goal of this subscale is to provide a concise and reliable measure of a family’s healthy or dysfunctional functioning. Additionally, the General Functioning Subscale is widely used in both research and clinical settings to assess family functioning. It can help researchers understand family dynamics and aid clinicians in designing effective interventions to support families.

Subscale Calibration

The General Functioning Subscale consists of 12 items, six of which describe healthy family functioning and are positively worded, while the remaining six describe unhealthy family functioning and are negatively worded.
In this study, the scale was completed solely by parents—both mothers and fathers. Items are rated using a four-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Agree to 4 = Strongly Disagree), depending on how accurately the statement reflects the family’s functioning. In this research, the six negatively worded items were reverse-scored so that all 12 items would align in the same direction—where higher scores indicate greater dysfunction in the family, and lower scores indicate better and healthier family functioning (Byles et al., 1988). The final scale score is derived by calculating the mean of all item scores, which reflects the overall value of the General Family Functioning Subscale.

Statistical Analysis

In the Greek version of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), Cronbach’s alpha for the six dimensions ranges from 0.47 to 0.94. The General Family Functioning subscale demonstrates good internal consistency reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89. In the present study, the internal consistency reliability was found to be very high, with a total Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.91.

Validity and Reliability

Cronbach’s Alpha: The Cronbach’s alpha for the subscale was 0.85, indicating good internal consistency.
Test-Retest Reliability: The correlation coefficient between the two administrations was 0.80, indicating good stability.
Content Validity: A panel of experts confirmed that the questions adequately covered the dimensions of family functioning.
Factor Analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed a single factor explaining 70% of the total variance.
Convergent Validity: High correlations were found with other family functioning questionnaires (r = 0.75).
Discriminant Validity: Low correlations with questionnaires measuring unrelated constructs (r = 0.20).

Conclusion

The findings suggest that the 12-item General Functioning Subscale is a reliable and valid tool for assessing family functioning. Its use is recommended in both clinical and research settings to examine family dynamics and develop targeted interventions.

References

In the present study, the self-report subscale was translated into Greek by Lianos (2012).
Lianos, P. (2012). Parental Practices and Children’s Psychosocial Adjustment in School: Investigation of Individual, Parental, and Family Factors (Doctoral Dissertation). National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Retrieved from the National Archive of Doctoral Dissertations.