Family Relationship Characteristics

Abstract

The Family Relationship Characteristics scale, developed by Tolan, Gorman-Smith, Huesmann, and Zelli in 1997, is a multidimensional self-report instrument designed to assess critical aspects of family functioning and beliefs within the context of risk assessment for young people. Specifically, the scale was created to measure family characteristics that may explain and predict risk for antisocial behavior and depression, particularly among urban youth. The instrument consists of 38 primary items (39 in the parent version) which are divided into four distinct subscales: Cohesion, Beliefs about Family, Structure, and Deviant Beliefs.

Keywords

Family relationship, family cohesion, deviant beliefs, antisocial behavior, youth risk assessment, psychological assessment, family structure, urban youth, juvenile delinquency.

Authors

Tolan, P. H., Gorman-Smith, D., Huesmann, L. R., Zelli, A.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Family Relationship Characteristics scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a robust measure of familial factors that serve as protective or risk mechanisms for maladaptive behavioral outcomes in adolescents. By capturing dimensions such as internal family dynamics, adherence to conventional norms, and structural clarity, the scale helps to identify specific family-level targets for intervention. The original study focused on explaining the variance in antisocial behavior and depression among high-risk urban youth.

Construct

The scale measures the complex construct of family relationship characteristics through four empirically derived subscales, each utilizing a 4-point Likert-type response format. These subscales capture both conventional and unconventional familial attitudes and behaviors.

• Cohesion: This subscale (Items 15–26) assesses the emotional bonding, communication quality, shared activities, and perceived closeness among family members. A higher score indicates greater family cohesion.
• Beliefs about Family: This subscale (Items 1–10) measures conventional attitudes regarding family importance, mutual respect, togetherness, parental teaching roles, and obedience expected from children. A higher score reflects more positive and traditional beliefs about the family unit.
• Structure: This subscale (Items 27–38) covers aspects related to defined family roles, boundary clarity, perceived expectations, and conflict resolution patterns. Items often relate to feelings of being misunderstood or blamed. A higher score suggests greater perceived structure within the family.
• Deviant Beliefs: This subscale (Items 11–14, plus Item 39 for the Parent version) assesses the acceptance of norm-violating behaviors, such as lying, stealing from the rich, skipping school, or justifying fighting. A higher score signifies a greater endorsement of deviant beliefs, which are strongly associated with increased risk for antisocial behavior.

Validity

The validity of the Family Relationship Characteristics scale was established through its original publication in Psychological Assessment, demonstrating its utility in discriminating between youth exhibiting high levels of externalizing and internalizing problems and those who do not. The instrument exhibits strong predictive validity, showing that scores on the subscales, particularly Deviant Beliefs and low Cohesion, are significant predictors of future antisocial behavior and depression among the target population.

Construct validity is supported by the clear theoretical distinctions between the four subscales, which align with established models of family systems and social learning theory regarding delinquency risk. The measure’s ability to capture both pro-social family functioning (Cohesion, Positive Beliefs) and risk factors (Deviant Beliefs, Poor Structure) confirms its relevance as a comprehensive assessment tool.

Reliability

Specific reliability coefficients (e.g., internal consistency via Cronbach’s alpha) were detailed in the 1997 seminal article. Typically, such measures demonstrate acceptable to strong internal consistency across the subscales, confirming that the items within each subscale reliably measure the intended underlying dimension (e.g., all Cohesion items consistently reflect the level of family bonding).

Factor Analysis

The scale is structured based on a factor analysis conducted during its development, which confirmed the existence of the four distinct factors or subscales: Cohesion, Beliefs about Family, Structure, and Deviant Beliefs. This empirical structure ensures that each subscale is psychometrically independent and contributes uniquely to the overall assessment of family dynamics, thereby supporting the scale’s use in multivariate analyses.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire (with youth and parent versions)

Format: 4-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: English (Original research context).

Population Group: Adolescents/Youth and their Parents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with middle to older school-age youth (adolescents).

Population Details: Originally validated on high-risk urban youth populations.

Test Methodology: Subscales are scored by computing mean scores of the items belonging to that specific factor. For Items 1–14 and 39, the scoring is 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree). For Items 15–38, the scoring is 1 (Not at all true) to 4 (Almost always or always true). A maximum score of 4 generally indicates higher levels of the measured construct (e.g., greater cohesion or higher deviant beliefs).

Keywords

Family assessment, delinquency prevention, parenting practices, social cognition, psychological measurement, risk factors, protective factors, family systems.

Authors

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

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

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was published in 1997. The measure is available in the public domain compendium, “Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools,” published by the CDC. The original PDF containing the instrument and scoring details is publicly accessible. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf (The instrument is found on pages 291-295).

Reference’s

Tolan PH, Gorman-Smith D, Huesmann LR, Zelli A. Assessment of family relationship characteristics: a measure to explain risk for antisocial behavior and depression among urban youth. Psychological Assessment 1997; 9(3): 212-223.

Items of the Family Relationship ch‎aracteristics

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

1. Family togetherness is very important.
2. Kids should value a close relationship with their family and not have to be asked to spend time at home.
3. No matter what‚ family members should stick together.
4. Family members should be able to speak their minds with one another.
5. Parents should teach their children what they need to know to make it in the world.
6. Children should always talk to their parents with respect.
7. Kids should obey their parents even when they don’t agree with them.
8. Parents should expect kids my age (kid’s ______age) to do some work around the house.
9. Kids my age (kid’s _____age) should call home if they think they might be late.
10. Kids my age (kid’s _____age) should clean-up for themselves without ha‎ving to be told.
11. It’s O. K. to lie to someone if it will keep you out of trouble with them.
12. It’s O. K. to steal something from someone who is rich and can easily replace it.
13. It’s O. K. to skip school every once in a while.
14. It’s O. K. to fight if the other guy says bad enough things about you or your family.
15. My family knows what I mean when I say something.
16. My family and I have the same views about what is right and wrong.
17. I am able to let others in the family know how I really feel.
18. My family and I have the same views about being successful.
19. I’m available when others in the family want to talk to me.
20. I listen to what other family members have to say‚ even when I disagree.
21. Family members ask each other for help.
22. Family members like to spend free time with each other.
23. Family members feel very close to each other.
24. We can easily think of things to do together as a family.
25. Family members attend church‚ synagogue‚ Sunday school‚ or other religious activities fairly often.
26. We often talk about the religious meaning of Christmas‚ Passover‚ or other holidays.
27. My family expects too much of me.
28. My family doesn’t care about me.
29. I often don’t understand what other family members are saying.
30. If someone in the family has upset me‚ I keep it to myself.
31. I have trouble accepting someone else’s answer to a family problem.
32. My family doesn’t let me be myself.
33. I am tired of being blamed for family problems.
34. The children make the decisions in our family.
35. It is hard to identify the leaders in our family.
36. It is hard to tell who does which household chores.
37. I sometimes get headaches or other aches and pains after I fight with my family.
38. I sometimes use feeling sick to get out of doing something.

For Parent Version: In addition to the preceding items‚ the following item is added.

39. When you feel someone is out to get you‚ it’s better to get them first.