Family Coping Inventory (FCI)

Abstract

The Family Coping Inventory (FCI) is a comprehensive psychometric instrument designed to assess the wide array of behavioral and cognitive strategies employed by individuals, typically parents or spouses, when facing significant family stress, crisis, or prolonged separation. Developed by McCubbin and colleagues in 1981, the FCI provides a systematic method for researchers and clinicians to quantify how family members attempt to manage demands that challenge the family system’s stability. The scale is rooted in family stress theory and is particularly valuable for studying adaptation and resilience in contexts such as military deployment or marital dissolution, where roles and responsibilities are drastically altered.

The instrument consists of 70 items covering diverse domains of coping, ranging from seeking external support and engaging in personal development to utilizing community resources and relying on spiritual beliefs. Scoring allows for the differentiation of perceived helpfulness of these strategies, enabling a detailed analysis of both adaptive and potentially non-adaptive responses to stressors.

Keywords

Family coping, stress, family resilience, adaptation, psychological measurement, family crisis, marital separation, coping strategies, assessment tool.

Authors

H. I. McCubbin, P. Boss, L. Wilson, B. Dahl.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the FCI is to systematically identify and quantify the specific behavioral and cognitive coping strategies utilized by individuals confronting acute or chronic family stressors. By presenting 70 distinct actions and beliefs, the scale allows respondents to rate the perceived helpfulness of each strategy in their unique situation. This quantification aids in understanding the mechanisms through which families attempt to buffer the effects of stress and achieve adjustment.

Furthermore, the FCI is structured to allow for the comparison of coping efforts specific to different types of family crises. The scoring guide provides distinct item subsets that are hypothesized to be most relevant for managing short-term separation versus the demands associated with long-term separation or loss, making it a flexible tool for studying family adaptation across various chronological stages of a crisis.

Construct

The FCI measures the multidimensional construct of family coping behavior, operationalized as the active efforts made by a family member to manage demands that exceed or tax their existing resources. The underlying theoretical framework for the FCI is typically associated with the McCubbin family stress models, such as the Double ABCX Model or the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model, where coping is a vital component in determining family outcomes following a stressor event.

The 70 items reflect a comprehensive view of coping that incorporates internal resources (e.g., self-reliance, emotional regulation, personal growth) and external resources (e.g., social support, community involvement, spiritual faith). The responses capture both proactive strategies aimed at growth and mastery, and reactive strategies aimed at emotional maintenance and stability.

Validity

Initial validation of the Family Coping Inventory established strong content validity, ensuring that the 70 items collectively represent the broad spectrum of coping behaviors reported by families facing separation and crisis, often confirmed through expert review and qualitative data. Construct validity is supported by the scale’s alignment with established family stress theory, demonstrating that coping scores mediate the relationship between stressors and indicators of family adaptation or maladjustment.

The scale has demonstrated utility in research settings by yielding subscales that correlate predictably with external measures of psychological well-being, marital satisfaction, and family functioning. The capacity of the FCI to differentiate between adaptive and non-adaptive coping strategies further reinforces its validity as a measure of effective family resilience.

Reliability

The FCI, when factor analyzed into its constituent subscales, generally exhibits acceptable to good levels of internal consistency reliability. Studies often report Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the derived coping factors falling within the range of 0.70 to 0.90, indicating homogeneity among the items grouped under specific coping domains (e.g., seeking social support or focusing on self-development).

While specific test-retest reliability data should be consulted in primary source documentation, the FCI is designed to capture relatively stable behavioral patterns in response to chronic stress. Research utilizing the FCI suggests that the reported coping mechanisms maintain stability over reasonable time frames during ongoing periods of family disruption.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the 70 items of the Family Coping Inventory typically results in the extraction of multiple oblique factors, reflecting distinct and correlated coping patterns. Although the exact factor structure can vary slightly depending on the specific population studied (e.g., differences between military families and divorced families), common factors consistently identified include:

• Maintenance of Family Stability: Strategies focused on preserving family structure and routine.
• Seeking Social Support: Reliance on friends, relatives, and professional help.
• Personal Development and Growth: Efforts toward self-improvement, learning new skills, and independent achievement.
• Spiritual/Religious Coping: Reliance on faith and belief systems.
• Passive/Avoidant Coping: Potentially maladaptive strategies such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, or excessive sleeping.
• Financial and Community Resource Utilization: Proactive engagement with economic benefits and local programs.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory/psychometric scale

Format: 70 items, rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0=Not helpful, 1=Minimally helpful, 2=Moderate helpful, 3=Very helpful)

Language Available: English (Primary)

Population Group: Individuals, typically adults (parents or spouses), experiencing significant family disruption, stress, or separation.

Age Group: Adult

Population Details: The scale has been widely used in research involving military families experiencing deployment, as well as families dealing with divorce, long-term illness, or other major life transitions that result in separation or role change.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to rate how helpful each listed behavior or belief has been in assisting them to manage their current family situation.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, family deployment, marital dissolution, coping mechanisms, self-efficacy, family systems, measurement tool, psychosocial.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Refer to original institutional affiliations (University of Wisconsin System).

Correspondence Address: Refer to primary author H. I. McCubbin’s institutional affiliation at the time of publication (1981).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Family Coping Inventory (FCI) was first published in 1981. This instrument is considered a valuable tool for research and clinical use in family studies. For current permissions, usage fees, and detailed instrument information, researchers should consult the official McCubbin Resilience Center website or contact the primary author’s associated institutions. The instrument is listed among the family assessment measures available via the McCubbin Resilience Center online resource.

Reference’s

• McCubbin, H. I., Boss, P., Wilson, L., & Dahl, B. (1981). Family Coping Inventory (FCI). In H. I. McCubbin, A. I. Thompson, & M. A. McCubbin (1996). Family assessment: Resiliency, coping and adaptation–Inventories for research and practice (pp. 625-637). Madison: University of Wisconsin System.
• McCubbin, H.I., Boss, P., Wilson, L. & Dahl, B. (1987). Family Coping Inventory (FCI). In Family Assessment for Research and Practice (H. I. McCubbin & A. Thompson, Eds.), pp. 211-226, Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison.
• McCubbin, H. I., Boss, P., Wilson, L., & Dahl, B. (1981). Family Coping Inventory (FCI). 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): 274-277.
• The instrument can be found at: http://www.mccubbinresilience.org/measures.html.

Items of the Family Coping Inventory (FCI)

Scoring Scale: 3=Very helpful, 2= Moderate helpful, 1= Minimally helpful, 0= Not helpful

1. Talking with other individuals in my same situation people
2. Going to School
3. Learning new skills
4. Developing myself as a person
5. Making financial investments/savings
6. Doing things with the family
7. Involvement in religious activities
8. Trying to be a father and a mother to the children
9. Allowing myself to become angry
10. Believing that my husband’s carder is most important
11. Always depending upon friends to give me support
12. Trying to maintain family stability
13. Investing myself in my children
14. Becoming more independent
15. Reading
16. Believing that the organizations that my spouse and I work for have my family’s best interest in mind
17. Taking advantage of local programs and services aimed at helping those in my situation
18. Wishing my spouse (or former spouse) was not gone and that things were different
19. Believing that my life would not be any better if my spouse were here (or my former spouse and I were still together)
20. Believing close relationships with people
21. Taking advantage of professional counseling
22. Involvement in activities specifically for someone in my situation
23. Establishing a now life for myself
24. Drinking alcohol
25. Always counting on relatives to help me out
26. Being active In the local community
27. Doing things with relatives
28. Reliving the past; reflecting on the memorable moments
29. Crying
30. Believing that things will always work out
31. Dating
32. Talking to someone about how I feel
33. Showing that I’m strong
34. Using drugs
35. Making sure I take advantage of all the state and local economic benefits I have coming to me
36. Participating on a regular basis in planned activities conducted by others in my situation
37. Establishing a routine which is not dependent upon my spouse (or former spouse) being around
38. Believing that I am better at running the family and/or finances without my spouse or former spouse
39. Believing that this is our style of life and I should enjoy It
40. Always trusting my faith to pull Me through
41. Doing more things with the children
42. Being a “good” wife and doing what my husband wants me to do
43. Believing in God
44. Doing volunteer work
45. Involvement in social activities (parties‚ etc.) with friends
46. Planning my future
47. Concentrating on hobbies (art‚ music‚ sewing‚ etc.)
48. Eating
49. Traveling
50. Always relying on myself to solve problems
51. Going shopping with the children or by myself
52. Reading about how other persons in my situation handle things
53. Seeking encouragement‚ guidance and support from my parent(s)
54. Engaging In relationships and friendships which are satisfying to me
55. Sleeping
56. Keeping myself In shape and well groomed
57. Watching television
58. Going to movies
59. Remodeling or redecorating the house
60. Engaging in club work (church‚ PTA‚ etc.)
61. Telling myself that I have many I things I should be thankful for
62. Keeping problem to myself
63. Gong shopping with friends
64. Advancing my professional career
65. Living up to what society wants me to do as a parent
66. Participating in gatherings and events with relatives
67. Socializing with friends of the opposite sex
68. Establish a new style of life-new – friends‚ new activities‚ etc
69. Always believing that nothing bad could ever happen to my children
70. Seeking out friend who understand how difficult It Is for me at times

Item Subsets:

• For long term separation: 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28-30, 32, 33, 35, 41, 43, 45, 46, 54, 56, 57, 61, 63, and 70.
• For short term separation: 1-9, 12-15, 17, 19-23, 26, 27, 29, 31-33, 36-38, 41, 43, 45-49, 51, 53-59, 63, 64, 66-68.