The Experience in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire (EXIS.pers): Development and Psychometric Properties

Abstract

This study presents the theoretical background, development, and psychometric properties of the German and English versions of the Experience in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire (EXIS.pers). It assesses how the members of a personal social system experience their situation within that system. It is designed as a research tool for interventions in which only one member of the system participates (e.g., Family Constellation Seminars). The EXIS.pers was created to measure change on the individual level relating to one's own important personal social system. In Study 1, we used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for latent variable identification of the original German EXIS.pers (n = 179). In Studies 2 and 3, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the dimensionality of the German (n = 634) and English (n = 310) EXIS.pers. Internal consistencies and cross-cultural structural equivalence were assessed. EFA indicated that a four-factor model provided best fit for the German EXIS.pers. For both the German and English EXIS.pers, CFA provided the best fit for a five-factor bi-level model that included a general factor (Experience In Personal Social Systems) and four dimensions (Belonging, Autonomy, Accord, Confidence). Good internal consistencies, external associations, and cross-cultural structural equivalence were demonstrated. This study provides first evidence for the

When Significant Others Suffer: German Validation of the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS)

“…The 12-item Experience in Social Systems Questionnaire (EXIS.pers, EXIS.org) [ 33 – 35 ] assesses individuals’ experience within their important personal (e.g. family, friends) and organizational (e.g.…”

“…Reduced caregiver burden was associated with a stable social network and positive social support [ 32 ]. To investigate the prediction of social systems functioning by caregiver burden, we used the Experience in Social Systems Questionnaire (EXIS) [ 33 – 35 ] that measures the individual’s feelings of belonging, autonomy, accord and confidence within its important personal and organizational social systems (EXIS.pers, EXIS.org). Additionally, the more burdened the relatives the more often they report psychosomatic pathology [ 12 , 14 , 36 ].…”

Editorial: Family Therapy and the Mental Health Professions Across the Globe

“…Informing the practice of relational therapy and intervention has always been a central goal. Toward those ends, we have published many articles about family theory (Asen & Fonagy, ; Patterson, Edwards, & Vakili, ), family science (Bámaca‐Colbert et al., ; Bos, Kuyper, & Gartrell, ; Knobloch‐Fedders, Critchfield, & Staab, ), methods of intervention (Casey et al., ; Distelberg et al., ; Karam, Sterrett, & Kiaer, ), family assessment (Carr & Stratton, ; Hunger et al., ; Sparks & Duncan, ), family problems (Paprocki & Baucom, ; Rauer, Williams, & Jensen, ; Rolland, ), family forms (Ganong & Coleman, ; Papernow, ), family resilience (Walsh, ), cultural context (ChenFeng, Kim, Wu, & Knudson‐Martin, ; Magaña, Lopez, & Machalicek, ), the efficacy of family interventions (Carr, Hartnett, Brosnan, & Sharry, ; Madsen, Tomfohr‐Madsen, & Doss, ; McFarlane, ), supervision (Rober, ), family narratives (Rober & Rosenblatt, ; Weingarten & Worthen, ), and so many other vitally important foci. Yet, only rarely do our field and Family Process speak to the complex issues that surround who practices couple and family therapy, the licensure of couple and family therapists, and what is meant by couple and family therapy in different locations.…”

Scene‐Based Psychodramatic Family Therapy With Troubled Adolescents and Parents: A Pilot Study

“…The relationship between adolescent psychosocial adjustment and the family context is widely supported by studies of adolescent development (B amaca-Colbert et al, 2017;Greenberg & Lippold, 2013). Thus, the family is one of the social systems in which adolescents maintain crucial interactions (Hunger et al, 2017). The family system provides a framework of belonging which attends to the needs, establishes links of trust, and promotes autonomy (Hunger et al, 2017).…”

“…Thus, the family is one of the social systems in which adolescents maintain crucial interactions (Hunger et al, 2017). The family system provides a framework of belonging which attends to the needs, establishes links of trust, and promotes autonomy (Hunger et al, 2017). Additionally, there is also empirical evidence linking problematic behaviors during adolescence to a hostile and conflictive relationship with parents (Fosco, Lippold, & Feinberg, 2014).…”