Psychometric properties of the FACES IV package for Spanish adolescents

Abstract

The family plays an essential role in the life of an adolescent. Hence, an acceptable understanding and an evaluation of family functioning is fundamental for effective interventions with adolescents in the psychological, social, and educational fields. The main purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV), the Family Communication Scale (FCS), and the Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS), for assessing the family functioning of Spanish adolescents. The sample was comprised of 1187 adolescents between 14 -18 years old (49.96% boys and 50.04% girls; M = 16.17; SD = 1.31) from Castile and Leon (Spain), selected from 23 educational centers, 10 university degree courses, and 18 specific juvenile centers for adolescents with either family or behavioral problems. The scales of Balanced Cohesion, Balanced Flexibility and Disengaged showed good convergent validity, while Enmeshed, Rigid, and Chaotic did not. For this reason some items were removed, obtaining a shortened version of FACES IV, that demonstrated acceptable reliability, and good convergent and predictive validity. The FCS and FSS scales yielded excellent psychometric properties. The results confirmed the factorial structure of the FACES IV, its transcultural applicability, and its validity for different ages. The hypotheses of the circumplex model were confirmed, except for the dysfunctionality of two scales, Enmeshed and Rigid, that contrary to what was expected, showed positive correlations with Family Communication, Family Satisfaction, Balanced Cohesion, and Balanced Flexibility. In brief, our results present the FACES IV package as a useful instrument for the assessment of family functioning of Spanish adolescents. Future studies will be necessary to confirm the trend observed for the two aforementioned scales among adolescents.

Family Functioning and Strengths in Families of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia

“…The four unbalanced scales comprise two for cohesion (disengaged and enmeshed) and two for flexibility (rigid and chaotic). It may be noted that there is a significant body of research devoted to adapting FACES IV in various contexts and assessing their psychometric properties (Martínez-Pampliega et al, 2017; Olson, 2011; Priest et al, 2020; Rivero et al, 2010; Sarour & El Keshky, 2022; Türkdoğan et al, 2018; Vegas et al, 2022).…”

The effect of family communication on anxiety and depression among adolescents: the mediating role of intimate relationship violence and problematic internet use

“…Positive communication not only stabilizes family structures and improves family relationships, but also fosters healthy family behaviors, which are a key measure for effectively preventing mental health problems in adolescents. A cross-sectional survey of Spanish adolescents found that mastery of communication skills and open communication can improve family relationships by increasing cohesion and exibility within the family structure [14]. Furthermore, family communication can also reduce domestic violence and internet addiction, thus effectively preventing mental health problems such as autism and personality disorders in young people [15][16].…”