CYDS Family Assessment Scale

Abstract

The CYDS Family Assessment Scale is a composite psychological scale designed to measure various dimensions of family functioning, beliefs, and interactions, often used in research concerning youth development and risk behaviors. This extensive instrument integrates selected items from three highly regarded legacy measures: the Family Assessment Measures (FAM), the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III; Olson, Portner & Lavee, 1985), and the Moos Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1974). The scale consists of 105 items scored across eight distinct subscales, providing a detailed profile of family strengths and vulnerabilities, including communication patterns, levels of support, organization, and endorsement of deviant beliefs.

Keywords

Family assessment, family functioning, youth development, cohesion, organization, deviant beliefs, parent-child communication, psychological scale, family environment

Authors

The items are derived from Olson, Portner & Lavee (FACES III), Moos & Moos (FES). The specific compilation, often associated with the Chicago Stress and Coping Interview research, was developed by Patrick H. Tolan and Deborah Gorman-Smith.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the CYDS Family Assessment Scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a robust, multi-faceted measure of the family environment. By pooling items from established instruments, the scale aims to capture complex family dynamics relevant to adolescent adjustment and the prevention of negative outcomes, such as violence-related attitudes and behaviors.

The scale is particularly useful for identifying specific areas of family stress, dysfunction, or protective factors (e.g., strong cohesion or positive developmental beliefs) that may influence a youth’s coping mechanisms and overall psychosocial development.

Construct

The CYDS Family Assessment Scale is a multi-dimensional construct measure focusing on family systems theory components. It assesses how family members perceive their internal structure, interactions, and shared beliefs. Key dimensions measured include:

• Family Cohesion and Support: The emotional bonding, mutual helpfulness, and availability among family members.
• Family Organization and Structure: The clarity of roles, rules, leadership, and adaptability within the family unit.
• Shared Beliefs and Values: Attitudes concerning family purpose, child development, responsibility, and morality (including endorsement of Deviant Beliefs).
• Communication: The perceived ability of family members to express feelings and understand one another.

Validity

While the specific psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the CYDS compilation itself are often detailed within the context of specific research studies (such as those related to the Chicago Stress and Coping Interview), the scale benefits significantly from the established validity of its source instruments. The items selected are derived from measures, including FACES III and the Family Environment Scale, which have extensive documented construct, criterion, and concurrent validity across diverse populations and clinical settings.

The use of items targeting distinct, theoretically grounded subscales (e.g., Cohesion, Organization, Deviant Beliefs) supports the scale’s construct validity in assessing separate facets of family dynamics critical for psychosocial research.

Reliability

As a composite measure, the reliability of the CYDS Family Assessment Scale is contingent upon the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of its resulting subscales. Although specific coefficients are not provided in the source material, the high reliability of the original instruments from which the items were drawn suggests that the adapted subscales likely possess acceptable to high internal consistency, particularly given the focused nature of the eight derived subscales.

Factor Analysis

The scoring method indicates that the 105 total items load onto eight distinct subscales, suggesting an underlying factor structure derived through empirical analysis or theoretical grouping based on the content of the original parent scales. These subscales represent the primary dimensions of family functioning measured by the instrument:

• Beliefs About Family (Items 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 72, 74, 76, 77, 78)
• Beliefs About Development (Items 74, 76, 77, 78)
• Beliefs About Purpose (Items 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 72)
• Cohesion (Items 31, 38, 43, 51, 56)
• Deviant Beliefs (Items 89, 90, 93, 94)
• Support (Items 2, 10, 11, 15, 19, 23)
• Organization (Items 5, 54, 60, 62, 101, 102)
• Communication (Items 21, 3, 28)

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Composite psychological scale

Format: 105 items utilizing a 4-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: English (Source context implies use in U.S. studies, specifically Chicago-based research).

Population Group: Families, typically focusing on adolescents/youth and their parents/caregivers.

Age Group: Adolescents and adults (parents/guardians).

Population Details: The scale was utilized within studies focused on urban youth and violence-related attitudes and behaviors, such as the research originating from the University of Illinois.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement using the following response options: Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Agree (3), and Strongly Agree (4). Subscales are scored by summing responses, with specific items being reverse-scored (e.g., items in the Support and Organization subscales) to maintain directional consistency.

Keywords

Family environment, FACES III, Moos FES, family roles, communication patterns, youth risk factors, parental beliefs, assessment tool

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed to the researchers utilizing the scale, such as Patrick H. Tolan or Deborah Gorman-Smith, affiliated with the University of Illinois at Chicago during the scale’s initial development context.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The CYDS Family Assessment Scale is an adaptation of existing, proprietary scales (FACES III, FES). Researchers should verify current permissions and any associated fees required for using items derived from the original instruments. The compilation itself was associated with research conducted around 1991 (Tolan & Gorman-Smith).

The instrument is publicly documented in a 2004 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compendium. The original PDF compilation can be downloaded here: A Compendium of Assessment Tools.

Reference’s

Tolan PH, Gorman-Smith D. The Chicago Stress and Coping Interview. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois, 1991.

Moos R, Moos B. Family Environment Scale preliminary manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1974.

Olson DH, Portner J, Lavee Y. FACES III. St. Paul, MN: Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, 1985.

Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviors among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2004.

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Items of the CYDS Family Assessment Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. My family and I usually see our problems the same way.
2. My family expects too much of me.
3. My family knows what I mean when I say something.
4. When I’m upset, my family knows what’s bothering me.
5. My family doesn’t care about me.
6. When someone in the family makes a mistake, I don’t makea big deal of it.
7. I argue a lot with my family about the importance of religion.
8. When my family has a problem, I have to solve it.
9. I do my share of duties in the family.
10. I often don’t understand what other family members are saying.
11. If someone in the family has upset me, I keep it to myself.
12. I stay out of other family members’ business.
13. I get angry when others in the family don’t do what I want.
14. I think education is much more important than my family does.
15. I have trouble accepting someone else’s answer to a family problem.
16. What I expect of the rest of the family is fair.
17. If I’m upset with another family member, I will let someone else tell them about it.
18. If I’m upset, I get over it quickly.
19. My family doesn’t let me be myself.
20. My family knows what to expect from me.
21. My family and I have the same views about what is right and wrong.
22. I keep on trying when things don’t work out in the family.
23. I am tired of being blamed for family problems.
24. Often I don’t say what I would like to because I can’t find the words.
25. I am able to let others in the family know how I really feel.
26. I really care about my family.
27. I’m not as responsible as I should be in the family.
28. My family and I have the same views about being successful.
29. When problems come up in my family, I let other people solve them.
30. My family complains that I always try to be the center of attention.
31. I’m available when others want to talk to me.
32. I take it out on my family when I’m upset.
33. I know I can count on the rest of my family.
34. I don’t need to be reminded what I have to do in the family.
35. I argue with my family about how to spend my spare time.
36. My family can depend on me in a crisis.
37. I never argue about who should do what in our family.
38. I listen to what other family members have to say, even when I disagree.
39. When I’m with my family, I get too upset too easily.
40. I worry too much about the rest of my family.
41. I always get my way in our family.
42. My family leaves it to me to decide what’s right and wrong.
43. Family members ask each other for help.
44. In solving problems, children’s suggestions are followed.
45. We approve of each other’s friends.
46. Children have a say in their discipline.
47. We like to do things with just our immediate family.
48. Different persons act as leaders in my family.
49. Family members feel closer to other family members than to people outside our family.
50. Our family changes its way of handling tasks.
51. Family members like to spend free time with each other.
52. Parent(s) and children discuss punishment together.
53. Family members feel very close to each other.
54. The children make the decisions in our family.
55. When our family gets together for activities, everybody is present.
56. Rules change in our family.
57. We can easily think of things to do together as a family.
58. We shift household responsibilities from person to person.
59. Family members consult other family members on their decisions.
60. It is hard to identify the leader(s) in our family.
61. Family togetherness is very important.
62. It is hard to tell who does which household chores.
63. Kids should value a close relationship with their family and should not have to be asked to spend time at home.
64. Family members should not bother other family members with their problems.
65. No matter what, family members should stick together.
66. Family members should stay out of other family member’s business.
67. Family members should be able to “speak their minds” with one another.
68. Parents should teach their children what they need to know to “make it” in the world.
69. Parents owe it to their kids to give them the best.
70. Aperson’s number one concern should be the needs of his/her family.
71. It is terrible for kids to talk back to their parents.
72. Children should always talk to their parents with respect.
73. When parents and kids disagree, parents should be willing to meet their kids halfway.
74. Kids should obey their parents even when they don’t agree.
75. It’s healthy for children to disobey their parents now and then.
76. Parents should expect kids my child’s age to do some work around the house.
77. Kids my child’s age should call home if they think they might be late.
78. Kids my child’s age should clean up for themselves withoutha‎ving to be told.
79. Family members attend church, synagogue, or Sunday school fairly often.
80. We don’t say prayers in our family.
81. We often talk about the religious meaning of Christmas, Passover, or other holidays.
82. The Bible is a very important book in our home.
83. For a kid my child’s age, parents should have some say in choosing his/her friends.
84. Kids my child’s age should be free to spend their money on whatever they want.
85. It’s very unfair for parents to make a kid my child’s age come home earlier than his/her friends.
86. Parents should let kids my child’s age decide for themselves how and where to spend their free time.
87. For kids my child’s age, parents should decide whether it’s O.K. to go out on dates.
88. Kids my child’s age should not dress in a way their parents don’t like.
89. It’s O.K. to lie to someone if it will keep you out of trouble.
90. It’s O.K. to steal something from someone who is rich and can easily replace it.
91. Most successful people probably cheated to get where they are.
92. When you feel someone is out to get you, it’s better to get them first.
93. It’s O.K. to skip school every once in a while.
94. It’s O.K. to fight if the other guy says bad enough things about you or your family.
95. I get headaches or other aches and pains after a fight in the family.
96. I use illness as a way to get out of doing something.
97. I worry a lot about my family’s health.
98. When my child has minor health problems, I think I need a doctor.
99. My child stays home from school when I (or my spouse)am not feeling well.
100. I often complain about my nerves.
101. I sometimes get headaches or other aches and pains after I fight with my family.
102. I sometimes use feeling sick to get out of doing something.
103. I worry a lot about health problems.
104. Kids who stay out late with their friends are likely to get in serious trouble and make mistakes which could ruin their lives.
105. A kid who doesn’t learn to act right at home will grow up to be lazy and irresponsible.