Factor Structure of the Family Environment Scale: Factors Based on Items and Subscales

Abstract

The superordinate factor structure of the Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos, Insel, & Humphrey, 1974) was sought by factor analyzing subscale scores on the FES of two very large and heterogeneous normative samples, the greatly expanded Adult Normative (N = 1,468) and the Adolescent Normative Samples (N = 621), whose intercorrelation matrices of subscale scores are reported in the most recent manual (Moos & Moos, 1981). Principal components analyses and scree tests were conducted first to determine the most appropriate number of factors; then maximum likelihood analyses with oblique or orthogonal rotations, as required, were performed to determine the simplest, yet most summarizing, solution. Three‐factor solutions were found to be most satisfactory in both normative samples. In content, the strongest, first two factors extracted in the Adult Normative Sample clearly resembled those extracted by other investigators; there were differences, however, between the solutions in the two samples attributable to their ages. In number, the solutions required three factors, whereas previous solutions have required only two. Thus, age appears to affect the content of factors extracted; heterogeneity of the sample, the number of factors extracted.

Family Versus Individual Therapy: Impact On Discrepancies Between Parents’ And Adolescents’ Perceptions Over Time

“…Although Moos and Moos (1986) suggested a three‐factor structure of the FES, few researchers have replicated this structure through confirmatory data analyses (Kronenberger & Thompson, 1990). Researchers have shown that the three FES subscales used in the current study load on one latent factor (e.g., Kronenberger & Thompson, 1990; Oliver, May, & Handel, 1988). Also, in the current sample, these three subscales yielded the most acceptable reliability scores across time, further supporting their use in this study.…”

Negative emotional reactivity moderates the relations between family cohesion and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence☆

“…A sample item is, “Family members really help and look out for one another.” Higher scores indicate higher levels of family cohesion. The FES has demonstrated good internal and external validity, moderate reliability, and factorial validity (Boyd, Gullone, Needleman, & Burt, 1997; Oliver, Handal, Enos, & May, 1988; Sanford, Bingham, & Zucker, 1999). …”

Conceptual and Empirical Approaches to Developing Family‐Based Assessment Procedures: Resolving the Case of the Family Environment Scale

“…Three item-level factor analyses have each identified eight factors in the FES, but the specific item composition of the eight factors has varied (10,25,26). Thus, for example, investigators who have examined the subscale factor structure of the FES in different samples have obtained widely varying solutions ranging from two through six factors (for the references, see 24, p. 22).…”