F AM III Administration and Scoring Procedures



FAM III Administration and Scoring Procedures

What is FAM III ?

The Family Assessment Measure (FAM) is a self-report instrument that provides quantitative indices of family strengths and weaknesses. The FAM is based on a Process Model of Family Functioning that integrates different approaches to family therapy and research.

What concepts does it measure?

Task Accomplishment

Role Performance

Communication

Affective Expression

Involvement

Control

Values and Norms

How many forms are there?

The FAM consists of three forms/types

1. General Scale - focuses on the family as system.

2. Dyadic Relationships Scale - examines relationships between specific pairs.

3. Self-Rating Scale - taps individual's perceptions of his/her functioning in the family.

How long does it take to administer?

The FAM takes about 30-40 minutes to administer depending upon how many forms you utilize.

What theoretical model or assumptions underlies this instrument?

The model that underlies this tool is the Process Model of Family Functioning. According to this model the overriding goal of the family is the successful achievement of a variety of basic, developmental, and crisis tasks (Task Accomplishment). It is through the process of Task Accomplishment that the family attains, or fails to achieve objectives central to its life as a group. These functions include allowing for the continued development of all family members, providing reasonable security, ensuring sufficient cohesion to maintain the family as a unit, and functioning effectively as a part of society. The process by which tasks are accomplished includes: (1) task or problem identification, (2) exploration of alternative solutions, (3) implementation of selected approaches, and (4) evaluation of effects. Thus task accomplishment is the most basic activity of the family.

Successful task accomplishment involves differentiation and performance of various roles. Role Performance requires three distinctive operations: (1) the allocation or assignment of specified activities to each family member; (2) the agreement or willingness of family members to assume the assigned roles; and (3) the actual enactment or carrying out of prescribed behaviors.

Essential to the performance of these roles is the process of Communication by which information essential to task accomplishment and ongoing role definition is exchanged.

The goal of effective communication is the achievement of mutual understanding, so that the message received is the same as the message intended.

A vital element of the communication process is the expression of affect (Affective Expression), which can impede or facilitate various aspects of Task Accomplishment and successful role integration. Critical elements of affective expression include content, intensity, and timing of the feelings involved. Affective expression is most likely to become blocked or distorted in times of stress.

The kind of Involvement family members have with one another can either help or hinder Task Accomplishment. Involvement refers to both the degree and quality of family members’ interest in one another. Other elements include the ability of the family to meet the emotional and security needs of family members while at the same time supporting family members' autonomy of thought and function.

Control is the process by which family members influence one another. Critical aspects of control include whether or not the family is predictable versus inconsistent, constructive versus destructive, or responsible versus irresponsible in its management style. Four types include rigid, flexible, laissez-faire, and chaotic.

How tasks are defined and how the family proceeds to accomplish them may be greatly influenced by Norms and Values of the culture in general and the family background in particular. Important elements include whether family rules are explicit or implicit, the latitude or scope allowed for family members to determine their own attitudes and behavior, and whether family norms are consistent with the broader cultural context.

The Process Model of Family Functioning emphasizes family dynamics that are relevant to family health-pathology. Moreover, it emphasizes how basic dimensions of family functioning interrelate.

For what ages is this test appropriate?

The FAM may be completed by individuals at or above a Grade 5 reading level (i.e., approximately age 10).

How do you administer the FAM?

The FAM can be administered in paper-and-pencil form using Multi-Health Systems QuickScore Forms. Separate forms are available for all three test-types. It is recommended that every family member (age 10 or older) should have up to three FAM QuickScore Forms: (1) General Scale (Green), (2) Dyadic Relationship Scale (blue), (3) Self-Rating Scale (yellow), with corresponding colored answer sheets.

Provide all respondents with a pen or pencil for completing the instruments(s). Explain that they should press hard enough that their responses go through to the inner pages of the form, and to select the items that best fits. Respondents should not erase any mistakes but block out the incorrect rating and check the new choice.

How do you score the FAM?

All three FAM QuickScore Forms (General, Self-Rating, and Dyadic Relationship Scales) are scored using similar procedures. To use the self scoring feature:

1. Separate the form at the perforation. The scoring key is found under the answer sheet.

2. Check to see that the participants responses have transferred through to the scoring sheet.

3. For each item, a number is circled on the scoring sheet. For example, if the participant responded, “strongly agree” to item 1 of the General Scale (“We spend too much time arguing about what our problems are”), the number 3 should be circled on the first line in the upper right portion of the scoring grid.

If the participant indicates two responses for the same question, use the higher score.

For the General Scale, items 1-25 are scored along the right column of the scoring grid; items 26-50 are scored along the left column of the scoring grid.

For each item follow the arrow pointing towards the box in the center of the scoring grid.

4. Transfer the number circled for each item into the box on the same line. For example, if the number 3 is circled for item 1, them write 3 in the box to the left of the arrow on line 1.

5. After all numbers are transferred to boxes for each item, add the numbers in each column following the un-shaded and shaded columns on the scoring grid.

6. Write the sum for each column in the boxes labeled “a1” through “il” and “a2” through “i2”.

7. Add “al” and “a2” and put the total on the reverse side of scoring grid marked "A."

8. Similarly, add the boxes labeled “b1” and “b2” and put the total where indicated on the reverse side of the scoring grid.

9. Follow this procedure for the remaining subscales (c, d, e, f, g, h, and i).

Note the same scoring process occurs for the Self-Rating and Dyadic Relationship Scales.

Raw scores will fall between 0 and 15 for the General Scale clinical subscales, between 0 and 21 for Social Desirability, between 0 and 24 for Defensiveness, and between 0 and 18 on subscales in the Self-Rating and Dyadic Relationship Scales.

How do you profile the FAM scores?

The Profile Form is on the reverse side of the scoring grid included in each self-scoring QuickScore Form. The raw subscale scores should have been transferred to the bottom of the Profile Form when scoring the FAM.

1. For each raw subscale score at the bottom of the Profile Form, circle the corresponding raw score in the body of the Profile Form. For example, circle the number in the box labeled “A” in the column above it for Task Accomplishment, circle the number in the box labeled “B” in the column above it for Role Performance, and so on.

For all three FAM scales, there are two columns under each subscale name on the Profile Form. Each of these columns corresponds to a particular age group of respondents. Responses of adults should be placed in the shaded columns, while those of adolescents should be places in the un-shaded columns.

2. Connect the circles with solid lines (Red ink works well). Percentiles (normal curve equivalents) and T-scores are listed in the far left and right columns of the Profile Form.

**** In general, T-scores of 60 or greater are considered clinically significant ****

In addition to scores corresponding to the boxes labeled “a” through “i”, the profile Form of the General Scale contains a column labeled, Overall Rating. The Overall Rating is simply the average of the standardized scores for the seven clinical subscales (Task Accomplishment, Role Performance, Communication, Affective Expression, Involvement, Control, and Values and Norms).

3. Once the raw scores have been converted to T-scores on the Profile Form (this is done automatically when you circle the numbers on the Profile Form), the seven T-scores should be added and divided by 7 to obtain the Overall Rating.

The Overall rating provides a general index of the degree of health/pathology in family functioning. FAM users should examine this index first, and then focus on particular areas assessed by the seven subscales.

Only the General Scale Form has the Social Desirability and Defensiveness subscales.

The Self-Rating and Dyadic Relationship Scales are profiled the same way as the General Scale, with the exception of there being only seven clinical subscales for those measures (i.e., no Overall Rating, Social Desirability, or Defensiveness subscales).

What is the ColorPlot Profile of Family Perceptions?

A feature of the FAM-III is the ColorPlot Profile of Family Perceptions, which allows the user to compare various family members' scores on the same profile form. The color-coded form presents results to participants in an easy-to-understand way. A variety of symbols may be used to denote the at-scores obtained by various family members. Thus, the perceptions of partners, spouses, children, parents, or entire families may be profiled simultaneously. The ColorPlot Profile Form is also designed so that General, Self Rating, and Dyadic Relationship scores for an individual may be shown together.

The color-coding system helps convey the FAM results in a straightforward way.

Key to ColorPlot Profile Form:

Color Meaning

Dark Red Greater Problem

Light Red Moderate Problem

Yellow Average or Typical

Light Green Moderate Strength

Dark Green Greater Strength

What is Progress ColorPlot?

The Progress ColorPlot is similar to the ColorPlot Profile. However, the Progress ColorPlot is designed specifically to analyze family functioning over several administrations. This enables the administrator to assess the effectiveness of therapy and examine change over time.

Guidelines for Interpretation

The higher an individual's scale score is elevated above 60, the greater the likelihood of disturbance in the elevated area. The elevation does not define the nature of the disturbance.

The more family members who indicate an elevated score in a particular area, the more likely that area is to be problematic.

The greater the number of elevate scale scores in the family, the more severe or generalized the family pathology is likely to be.

The more the Social Desirability and Defensiveness Scales exceed 50, the more one should suspect the validity of the responses to the clinical scales. Social Desirability and Defensiveness scores above 60 strongly indicate some distortion of the FAM profile. Two general types of distortion are possible: the elevation of the entire profile may be artificially depressed; and the shape of the profile may be distorted. Social Desirability and Defensiveness Scales below 40 do not guarantee the validity of the clinical scales, as there may be other distortions that are not being measured (i.e., projection).

The greater the discrepancies between the spouses’ profiles, the greater the likelihood of some marital discord.

If different scale scores are elevated for different family members, it is evident a problem exists but is perceived very differently by various family members.

On what population was this test normed?

The normative data for the FAM came from an analysis of 247 non-clinical adults and 65 non-clinical adolescents, constituting control groups at a variety of health and social settings. Note that the population upon which the test was normed was predominantly white. Thus, application to other racial and ethnic groups should take this into consideration. The mean age of the adults was 38.6 years; 43% were men and 57% were women. Over half (53%) of the adults had completed at least some post-secondary education. The mean age of the adolescents (less than 18 years of age) was 15 years; 51 % were male and 49% were female. Nearly half were in secondary school, 13% were in elementary school, and 35% had completed secondary school.

|1. TASK ACCOMPLISHMENT |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|basic tasks consistently met |failure of some basic tasks |

|flexibility and adaptability to change developmental tasks |inability to respond appropriately to changes in the family life cycle |

|functional patterns of Task Accomplishment are maintained even under |problems in task identification, generation of potential solutions, and |

|stress |implementation of change |

|task identification shared by family members, alternative solutions are |minor stresses may precipitate a crisis |

|explored and attempted | |

|2. ROLE PERFORMANCE |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|roles are well integrated: family members understand what is expected, |insufficient role integration, lack of agreement regarding role |

|agree to do their share and get things done. |definitions |

|members adapt to new roles required in the development of the family |inability to adapt to new roles required in the evolution of the family|

|no idiosyncratic roles |cycle |

| |idiosyncratic roles |

|3. COMMUNICATION |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|communications are characterized by sufficiency of information |communications are insufficient, displaced, or masked |

|messages are direct and clear |lack of mutual understanding among family members |

|receiver is available and open to messages sent |inability to seek clarification in case of confusion |

|mutual understanding exists among family members | |

|4. AFFECTIVE EXPRESSION |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|affective communication characterized by expression of a full range of |inadequate affective communication involving insufficient expression, |

|affect, when appropriate and with correct intensity |inhibition of (or overly intense) emotions appropriate to a situation |

|5. INVOLVEMENT |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|emphatic involvement |absence of involvement among family members, or merely interest devoid |

|family members’ concern for each other leads to fulfillment of emotional|of feelings |

|needs (security) and promotes autonomous functioning |involvement may be narcissistic, or to an extreme degree, symbiotic |

|quality of involvement is nurturing and supportive |family members may exhibit insecurity and/or lack of autonomy |

|6. CONTROL |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|patterns of influence permit family life to proceed in a consistent and |components of the family’s value system are dissonant resulting in |

|generally acceptable manner |confusion and tension |

|able to shift habitual patterns of functioning in order to adapt to |conflict between the family’s values and those of the culture as a whole|

|changing demands |explicitly stated rules are subverted by implicit rules |

|control style is predictable yet flexible enough to allow for some |degree of latitude is inappropriate |

|spontaneity | |

|control attempts are constructive, educational, and nurturing | |

|7. VALUES AND NORMS |

|LOW SCORES (40 and below) – STRENGTH |HIGH SCORES (60 and above) WEAKNESS |

|consonance between various components of the family’s value system |components of the family’s value system are dissonant resulting in |

|family’s values are consistent with their subgroup and the lager culture|confusion and tension |

|to which the family belongs |conflict between the family’s values and those of the culture as a whole|

|explicit and implicit rules are consistent |explicit stated rules are subverted by implicit rules |

|family members function comfortably within the existing latitude |degree of latitude is inappropriate |

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FAMILY FUNCTIONING MODEL

Task Accomplishment

Role

Performance

Communication (including effective expression)

Control

Affective Involvement

Values & Norms

Abstract

Observable

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