Family Pressure Scale-Ethnic (FPRES-E)

Abstract

The Family Pressure Scale-Ethnic (FPRES-E) is a specialized psychological instrument designed to assess the cumulative level of demands and stressors experienced by families, with a specific focus on those unique challenges faced by ethnic minority populations. Developed by McCubbin and colleagues in 1993, the scale measures the degree to which a family unit perceives various life events and ongoing strains as problematic. This instrument uniquely integrates general family stressors (e.g., health issues, financial strain, interpersonal conflict) with culture- and ethnicity-specific pressures, such as worries about assimilation, loss of ethnic values, and experiences of racial prejudice. The FPRES-E is crucial for researchers and clinicians seeking a nuanced understanding of family adaptation and resilience within diverse cultural contexts.

Keywords

Family stress, ethnic pressure, racial prejudice, psychological measurement, stress adaptation, family resilience, McCubbin, ethnic minority families, family demands.

Authors

H.I. McCubbin, A.I. Thompson, K.M. Elver (or Elvêr).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Family Pressure Scale-Ethnic (FPRES-E) is to quantify the amount of psychological stress and strain experienced by families, enabling researchers to differentiate between general life difficulties and those stressors specifically tied to ethnic identity and minority status. It serves as a comprehensive tool for identifying potential risks to family functioning and adaptation.

By assessing both normative and non-normative life events alongside chronic ethnic strains, the scale allows for a detailed profile of the family’s overall burden. This profile is often used within theoretical frameworks, such as the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) Model, to predict coping mechanisms and long-term family outcomes.

Construct

The FPRES-E measures the construct of Family Pressure, defined as the accumulation of demands, both chronic strains and discrete life events, that tax the family’s resources and adaptive capabilities. Crucially, the FPRES-E expands upon general family stress measures by incorporating a significant component addressing ethnic and cultural issues. These include concerns related to cultural erosion, discrimination, language loss, and intergenerational conflict stemming from assimilation pressures.

The scale assumes that a higher level of reported pressure correlates with a greater need for family resources and coping strategies to maintain balance and avoid crisis. The items are categorized across multiple domains, reflecting the multi-faceted nature of stress experienced by ethnic minority families.

Validity

While specific psychometric details for the FPRES-E often require consultation of the original source materials, the scale typically demonstrates strong face and content validity due to its comprehensive coverage of diverse stress domains relevant to ethnic families, including interpersonal, health, financial, and cultural challenges. Construct validity is generally supported by its consistent use in studies examining family adaptation and resilience, where higher scores correlate predictably with measures of family dysfunction and lower coping efficacy.

The scale’s ability to predict outcomes related to ethnic identity struggles and discrimination further supports its validity as a measure of culture-specific demands, distinguishing it from instruments that only measure general family stress.

Reliability

Reliability estimates for the FPRES-E, as is common with measures developed by McCubbin and colleagues, generally reflect good to excellent internal consistency. Studies utilizing the scale often report Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.80 for the total scale score, indicating high homogeneity among the items in measuring the overall construct of family pressure.

Due to the scale’s length (64 items) and breadth, the reliability of individual subscales may vary, but the composite score provides a highly reliable measure of cumulative family demands. Test-retest reliability is also generally acceptable, suggesting stability in reported pressure levels over short periods, provided no major life events intervene.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the FPRES-E typically reveals multiple underlying dimensions of family pressure, reflecting the comprehensive nature of the stress measurement. While the exact factor structure may vary slightly depending on the specific ethnic population studied, common domains that emerge include:

• Intra-family Strains: Conflict between spouses, parent-child arguments, and unresolved household issues (Items 26, 28, 34).
• Health and Illness Strains: Chronic illness, disability, and death of family members or close relatives (Items 4, 5, 10, 11).
• Socio-economic and Financial Strains: Job loss, debt, concerns about education costs, and strain related to basic needs (Items 49, 54, 56, 57).
• Ethnic and Cultural Strains: Concerns regarding assimilation, loss of native language, dying ethnicity/roots, and concerns about ethnic values (Items 21, 23, 27, 29).
• Discrimination/Racial Trauma: Experiences of racial prejudice affecting employment or treatment of children (Items 2, 3).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory or questionnaire.

Format: 64 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Not a problem, 4 = Large problem).

Language Available: Primarily English; adaptations may exist for specific research populations.

Population Group: Ethnic minority families or families experiencing significant cultural transition/stress.

Age Group: Designed for adult family members (e.g., parents/spouses) reporting on the collective family experience.

Population Details: Originally developed for diverse ethnic groups to capture cultural-specific stressors often overlooked by general population scales.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the degree to which each listed event or issue is currently perceived as a problem for the family.

Keywords

Family assessment, cumulative stress, cultural demands, psychometrics, family functioning, family crisis, psychological stress, adaptation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material.)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material.)

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed through the primary author, Hamilton I. McCubbin, often associated with the McCubbin Resilience Center, or via the listed reference source: http://www.mccubbinresilience.org/measures.html.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The FPRES-E was developed and published in 1993. Permissions for use in research or clinical practice are generally required from the authors or the institution holding the copyright, often the University of Wisconsin System or the McCubbin Resilience Center. Users should consult the official McCubbin Measures website for current licensing and fee information.

Reference’s

McCubbin, H.I., Thompson. A.I., & Elver, K.M. (1993). Family Pressures Scale-Ethnic (FPRES-E). In H.I. McCubbin. A.I. Thompson. & M.A. McCubbin (1996). Family assessment: Resiliency, coping and adaptation – Inventories for research and practice, (pp. 357-389). Madison: University of Wisconsin System.

Hamilton McCubbin, Anne Thompson, and Kelly Elvêr. (1993). Family Pressure Scale-Ethnic (FPRES). In Fischer, Joel., Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page (s): 311-313.

Items of the Family Pressure Scale-Ethnic (FPRES-E)

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

1. Increase of husband/father’s time away from family
2. A child member was treated badly because of racial prejudice
3. A member did not get a Job because of racial prejudice
4. Close relative or friend of the family became seriously ill
5. A member became physically disabled or chronically ill
6. Increased difficulty in managing a chronically ill or disabled member
7. Member or close relative was committed to an institution or nursing home
8. Increased difficulty in resolving issues with a “former” or separated spouse
9. Increased responsibility to provide direct care or financial help to husband’s and/or wife’s parent(s)
10. A parent/spouse died
11. A child member died
12. Death of husband’s or wife’s parent or close relative
13. Increased difficulty with sexual relationship between husband and wife
14. Married son or daughter was separated or divorced
15. A member went to jail or Juvenile detention
16. A member was picked up by police or arrested
17. Physical or sexual abuse or violence In the home
18. Delay in receiving child support or alimony payments
19. A member ran away from home
20. A member dropped out of school or was suspended from school
21. We worry that our ethnicity/roots are dying
22. A member appears to have emotional problems
23. We worry that we are losing our ethnic values
24. A member appears to depend on alcohol or drugs
25. We worry that the land we were promised will never come to us
26. Increase in conflict between husband and wife
27. Worry that our children aren’t Interested In the family ethnicity/roots
28. Increase In arguments between parent(s) and child(ren)
29. We worry that use of our native language will fade away
30. Increase in conflict among children In the family
31. We worry that tension/conflict in the home hurts children’s learning
32. Increase disagreement about a member’s friends or activities
33. We worry that parents are not able to spend time with children to encourage learning
34. Increase in the number of problems or issues which don’t get resolved
35. We worry that children want to quit school early
36. Increase in the number of task or chores which don’t get done
37. We worry about children Joining neighborhood/city gangs
38. Spouse had unwanted or difficult pregnancy
39. Worry that children will join groups abusing alcohol/drugs
40. An unmarried member became pregnant
41. We worry that jobs Will not be available for children In the future
42. A member had an abortion
43. We worry that they will not have enough money for the children’s education
44. A member gave birth to or adopted a child
45. We worry that at the family Will not be able to take care of the elders in future
46. We worry that the elders will become a burden upon the children in the future
47. Went on welfare
48. Increased conflict with in-laws or relatives
49. Took out a loan or refinanced a loan to cover increased expenses
50. Increased strain on family “money” for medical/dental expenses
51. Purchased or built a home
52. A member purchased a car or other major item
53. A member changed to a new job/career
54. Increasing financial debts due to overuse of credit cards
55. Increased strain on family “money” for food, clothing, energy, home care
56. A member lost or quit a job
57. Increased strain on family “money” for child(ren)’s education
58. Decrease in satisfaction with Job/career
59. A member started or returned to work
60. A member had Increased difficulty With people at work
61. Family moved to a new home/apartment
62. A member stopped working for extended period (e.g., laid off, leave of absence, strike)
63. Experienced difficulty in arranging for satisfactory child care
64. We worry that they cannot pay for health Insurance in the future