Psychometric Testing of a Measure of Family Functioning

说明(由申请人提供)：问题和意义：可靠和有效的家庭功能衡量标准可能有助于减少健康差距，方法是正确识别家庭的长处和短处，并将稀缺资源用于需要的地方。许多衡量家庭功能的指标在用于日益增长的低收入非裔美国单亲家庭人口时，显示出令人无法接受的可靠性和有效性。对这一群体的家庭功能进行可靠和有效的衡量，将使家庭科学家能够更好地确定这一家庭群体的优势和劣势，并制定干预措施，以增强家庭优势。 目的：这项研究的目的是通过进行心理测量测试和进一步完善42项家庭有效性测量(Fem)，产生一个可靠和有效的工具来评估这一服务不足的人群的家庭功能，该工具是根据定性数据开发的，用于评估低收入、非裔美国人、有孩子的单亲家庭的家庭功能。 目的：具体目的是通过探索性因素分析来评估有限元的以下心理测量学特性：1)因素结构；2)信度，通过确定内部一致性和稳定性(TETRAST)系数；3)结构效度，通过检验有限元与家庭幸福感(家庭冲突、对家庭交往的满意度)和个人幸福感(抑郁)方面的测量之间的假设关系，这些方面在理论上和经验上都与家庭功能有关；4)结构效度，通过Rasch分析进一步评估测量的维度，项目利用结构广度的程度，以及人们以连贯的方式对项目做出反应的程度。 方法：对420名低收入非裔美国单亲母亲进行一次性的有限元和验证性测量。两周后，将随机选择84个子样本(20%)完成有限元分析，以评估稳定性(测试-重测)可靠性。将进行因子分析，计算信度系数，并通过相关性检验测量之间的假设关系。如有必要，将根据研究结果对项目进行修改、添加或删除。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Problem And Significance: Reliable and valid measures of family functioning may help to reduce health disparities by correctly identifying both strengths and weaknesses in families and by directing scarce resources where needed. Many measures of family functioning have shown unacceptable reliability and validity when used with the growing population of low-income African American single-parent families. A reliable and valid measure of family functioning in this population will allow family scientists to better identify both strengths and weaknesses in this population of families and to develop interventions to enhance family strengths. Purpose: The purpose of this study is produce a reliable and valid instrument to assess family functioning in this underserved population by conducting psychometric testing and further refinement of the 42-item Family Effectiveness Measure (FEM), an instrument developed from qualitative data to assess family functioning with low-income, African American, single-parent families with children. Aims: The specific aims are to assess the following psychometric properties of the FEM: 1) factor structure, by conducting exploratory factor analysis; 2) reliability, by determining internal consistency and stability (testretest) coefficients; 3) construct validity, by testing hypothesized relationships between the FEM and measures of aspects of family well-being (family conflict, satisfaction with family interaction) and individual well-being (depression), which are theoretically and empirically known to be related to family functioning; and 4) construct validity, by conducting Rasch analysis to further evaluate the dimensionality of the measure, the extent to which items tap the breadth of the construct, and the extent to which persons respond to items in coherent ways. Methods: The FEM and validating instruments will be administered one time to a sample of 420 low-income African American single mothers. A subsample of 84 (20%) will be randomly selected to complete the FEM after 2 weeks to assess stability (test-retest) reliability. Factor analysis will be performed, reliability coefficients will be calculated, and hypothesized relationships among the measures will be tested by correlations. Items will be revised, added, or eliminated if warranted based on the study findings.