Family Functioning in Humanitarian Contexts: Correlates of the Feminist-Grounded Family Functioning Scale among Men and Women in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

In humanitarian contexts, family functioning may have a positive influence on outcomes of mental health and wellbeing for both children and adults. This study sought to adapt and explore an existing family functioning measure for use in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Cross-sectional data were collected from 394 respondents (196 men and 198 women) in North Kivu, DRC. The Feminist-Grounded Family Functioning Scale was developed through qualitative research and cognitive testing which conceptualized a healthy and functioning family as one without gender and power hierarchies. Generalized linear mixed models stratified by gender assessed the association between family functioning and demographics, conflict experiences, and correlates of interest including gender attitudes, acceptance of harsh discipline, positive parenting, and power sharing. In the final adjusted models, family functioning among women was associated with positive parenting (β = 0.32, p = 0.009) and power sharing (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), but attitudes around gender and harsh discipline did not retain their significant association. Similarly, men’s family functioning was significantly associated with positive parenting (β = 0.41, p = 0.011) and power sharing (β = 0.16, p = 0.014). Results suggest that family functioning is positively associated with behaviors indicative of non-violent and equitable relationships between family members, but that behaviors might be attenuating the influence of attitudes on family functioning, as the significant association between attitudes and family functioning in the univariate models was not retained in the full models accounting for both behaviors and attitudes. Further research is needed to capture the context-specific nuances of family functioning and to understand the influence of gender and power hierarchies for families in conflict settings.

Improving family functioning and reducing violence in the home in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo: a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial of Safe at Home

“…The primary outcome of the trial was a continuous measure of the feminist-grounded family functioning scale (F-GFFS; range: 0-78; Cronbach's α=0.86). 33 This 26 item scale was adapted from an South African developed scale 34 through free listing exercises with the practitioner team, cognitive interviewing techniques, piloting and psychometric validation, with additional measures added on age and gender dynamics within the home. A higher F-GFFS denotes better family functioning.…”

“…Tools, and in particular, the family functioning outcome was developed in response to the prioritised outcomes of the community and practitioner staff including free listing, focus groups and other techniques to refine the measure. 33 Results were shared with practitioner staff and community members. The burden of the intervention was not assessed by the participants, but both trial arms were offered the intervention in either the primary or waitlisted treatment group.…”

Preventing Co-occurring Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: The Role of Family Functioning and Programmatic Reflections

“…Findings of this analysis demonstrate a staggering overlap and overall frequency of IPV and child abuse in eastern DRC, such that over half of all families reported experiencing these recent forms of co-occurring violence in the home. Additionally, while a highly adapted and contextualized construct developed primarily for the perspectives of women in the home, women and men indicated moderate levels of a feminist-grounded conceptualization of family functioning, with women reporting slightly lower levels of functioning (Blackwell et al, under review). In unadjusted models, increased reporting of family functioning was associated with reduced odds of experiencing all forms of violence in the home.…”

“…The primary predictor of interest was a Feminist-Grounded Family Functioning Scale as reported by men and women independently. The 26-item continuous scale was heavily adapted from Taliep et al (2014), in South Africa for the DRC context (Blackwell et al, under review) and additional items were generated to capture feminist understandings of family functioning. Other continuous predictors of interest included an 11 item Likert scale of gender inequitable attitudes (Pulerwitz & Barker, 2008), an adapted and expanded 19 binary item scale for acceptance of harsh discipline against women and children (MICS, UNICEF, 2013), 30 item Likert scale from Power Sharing in Couple Relationships (Arici Sahin & Keklik, 2019), and positive parenting (Puffer et al, 2015).…”

Exploring the Impact of a Family-Focused, Gender-Transformative Intervention on Adolescent Girls’ Well-Being in a Humanitarian Context

“…Evaluations of programs aimed at improving the well-being and safety of adolescent girls in humanitarian settings have concluded that working with girls and female caregivers is not sufficient to induce positive changes around safety and gender equity [ 45 ]; these studies argue that programs must also engage male caregivers and other men in girls’ lives who hold decision-making power in these contexts. A recent study in the Democratic Republic of Congo found positive associations between men’s family functioning and positive parenting and power-sharing, further emphasizing the value in engaging male caregivers in programs for adolescent girls [ 46 , 47 ].…”