Psychometric Testing of a Measure of Family Functioning

描述（由申请人提供）：问题和意义：可靠和有效的家庭功能的措施可能有助于减少健康差距，正确识别家庭的优势和劣势，并在需要时引导稀缺资源。家庭功能的许多措施都表现出不可接受的可靠性和有效性时，与低收入的非裔美国人单亲家庭的人口不断增长。一个可靠和有效的措施，在这一人口的家庭功能将使家庭科学家更好地确定优势和劣势，在这一人口的家庭，并制定干预措施，以提高家庭的优势。 目的：本研究的目的是产生一个可靠的和有效的工具，以评估家庭功能，在这个服务不足的人口进行心理测试和进一步完善的42项家庭有效性措施（FEM），工具开发的定性数据，以评估家庭功能与低收入，非洲裔美国人，单亲家庭的儿童。 目的：具体的目的是评估FEM的以下心理测量学特性：1）因素结构，通过进行探索性因素分析; 2）可靠性，通过确定内部一致性和稳定性（测试）系数; 3）结构效度，通过检验FEM和家庭幸福感方面的测量之间的假设关系（家庭冲突、家庭互动满意度）和个人幸福感（抑郁症），这是理论上和经验上已知的与家庭功能;（4）结构效度，通过Rasch分析进一步评估测量的维度、项目挖掘结构广度的程度以及人们以连贯方式对项目作出反应的程度。 方法：FEM和验证工具将管理一次的样本420低收入的非洲裔美国单身母亲。将随机选择84例（20%）子样本，在2周后完成FEM，以评估稳定性（重测）可靠性。将进行因素分析，将计算可靠性系数，并通过相关性测试测量之间的假设关系。根据研究结果，如有必要，将对项目进行修订、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.