Family Unpredictability Scale (FUS)

Abstract

The Family Unpredictability Scale (FUS) is a widely utilized psychological scale developed to measure the perceived level of chaos, instability, and inconsistency within the family environment. Primarily authored by Ross and Hill, the instrument assesses how predictable the family structure is across four key domains: discipline, daily routines (meals), financial stability, and emotional nurturance. It is designed to capture structural and emotional inconsistencies that may serve as significant environmental risk factors for psychological distress and behavioral issues in children and adolescents.

The FUS exists in multiple versions, including a parent-report version focused on current family dynamics and a retrospective version designed for adults reflecting on their childhood experiences. High scores on the FUS indicate high perceived environmental unpredictability, a construct strongly correlated with various negative outcomes such as risk-taking behaviors and the development of negative schemas for future stability.

Keywords

Family structure, unpredictability, parental behavior, discipline inconsistency, nurturance, financial instability, family environment, psychological assessment, Ross and Hill.

Authors

Lisa Thomson Ross, Elizabeth M. Hill.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Family Unpredictability Scale is to quantify the degree of structural and emotional inconsistency experienced by individuals within their family unit. It serves as a critical measure for researchers studying the impact of chronic environmental stressors on development, particularly focusing on the lack of stable expectations regarding caregiving and routine.

The scale helps distinguish between families that maintain consistent rules, routines, and emotional availability and those characterized by highly variable, mood-dependent, or chaotic interactions. This differentiation is vital for clinical practice and research aiming to understand the etiology of anxiety, attachment issues, and maladaptive coping mechanisms.

Construct

The FUS measures the construct of Family Unpredictability, defined as the degree to which a child or family member perceives instability and inconsistency across crucial aspects of family functioning. This construct is generally broken down into four distinct, yet related, subscales:

• Discipline Inconsistency: Variability in applying rules and consequences, often dependent on parental mood.
• Meal/Routine Irregularity: Lack of stable, predictable schedules regarding daily activities, especially mealtimes.
• Financial Instability: Unpredictable financial resources, characterized by periods of abundance followed by periods of poverty.
• Nurturance/Emotional Availability: Inconsistent emotional support and affection provided by the parent.

Validity

The FUS has demonstrated robust psychometric properties, including strong validity across multiple studies. Construct validity is supported by its significant correlations with related measures of family dysfunction and environmental chaos. For instance, the scale successfully differentiates between families with alcoholic parents and non-alcoholic parents, indicating strong criterion validity (Ross & Hill, 2004).

Furthermore, the scores on the FUS have been shown to predict relevant psychological outcomes, such as schemas related to future unpredictability and increased engagement in risk-taking behaviors among adolescents and young adults (Ross & Hill, 2002). The subsequent development and validation of the Retrospective Family Unpredictability Scale (Ross & McDuff, 2008) further confirmed the construct’s relevance when assessing childhood experiences in adult populations.

Reliability

Initial validation studies (Ross & Hill, 2000) established acceptable levels of reliability for the FUS. The overall scale typically yields high internal consistency, often with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging in the .80s.

Reliability has also been confirmed at the subscale level, ensuring that each of the four underlying factors (Nurturance, Finances, Discipline, and Meals) measures its respective facet of unpredictability consistently. Test-retest reliability, though less frequently reported than internal consistency, generally indicates stability over short intervals, supporting its use as a measure of a relatively stable environmental characteristic.

Factor Analysis

Factor analytic studies, particularly those using the 22-item version developed in 2004, confirm the intended multi-dimensional structure of the Family Unpredictability Scale. The instrument is best characterized by four distinct factors: Nurturance, Finances, Discipline, and Meals/Routines.

This four-factor structure allows researchers and clinicians to pinpoint the specific areas within the family system contributing most significantly to the overall sense of chaos, providing a more nuanced understanding than a single total score might offer. This clear factor loading supports the theoretical proposition that unpredictability manifests across diverse domains of family life.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale (Parent report or Retrospective adult report).

Format: 22 items, typically utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. Response options vary slightly, often ranging from “1=Disagree” to “5= Agree Strongly” or “1 = not at all” to “5= extremely.”

Language Available: English (Primary language of development).

Population Group: Parents reporting on current family environment, or adults reporting retrospectively on their childhood family environment.

Age Group: Adults (for retrospective version) or Parents of children (for current version).

Test Methodology: Paper-and-pencil or online self-administered questionnaire.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, family chaos, parent-child relationship, retrospective measurement, environmental risk factors, behavioral outcomes, clinical measures.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially developed and validated in 2000 by Ross and Hill, with a revised 22-item version published subsequently (2004). The FUS is considered a research instrument and is often available for non-commercial academic use, though direct permission should be sought from the primary authors (Lisa Thomson Ross or Elizabeth M. Hill) for large-scale or commercial application. The instrument is widely accessible in research sourcebooks such as Fischer and Corcoran (2007).

Reference’s

The Family Unpredictability Scale and its applications are detailed in the following key publications:

1. Ross, L. T., & Hill, E. M. (2000). The Family Unpredictability Scale: Reliability and validity. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 549–562.
2. Ross, L. T., & Hill, E. M. (2002). Childhood unpredictability, schemas for future unpredictability, and risk taking. Social Behavior and Personality, 30(5), 453-474.
3. Ross, L. T., & Hill, E. M. (2004). Comparing alcoholic and non-alcoholic parents on the Family Unpredictability Scale. Psychological Reports, 94, 1358–1391.
4. Ross, L. T., & Hill, E. M. (2004). Family Unpredictability Scale (FUS). 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): 335-337.
5. Ross, Lisa Thomson and McDuff, Jennifer A. (2008). The Retrospective Family Unpredictability Scale: Reliability and Validity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 17(1), 13–27.
6. Stephens, Kamie L., (2016). “Relationship Between Parental Alcoholism and Family Unpredictability” (2016). Honors Theses. Paper 366.

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Items of the Family Unpredictability Scale (FUS)

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

The following items represent the 22-item version of the Family Unpredictability Scale (Ross & Hill, 2004), where R indicates reverse coding:

1. I spend time with each individual child each day. R
2. On weekdays (Monday through Friday), dinner is at the same time each night. R
3. When the children have an injury, they come to me for first aid. R
4. We are never sure how we will pay our bills from month to month.
5. I keep changing my mind about rules for the children.
6. It’s hard to predict what time meals will be.
7. My children can count on me to get them where they need to be. R
8. How I’ll act in a specific situation depends on my mood.
9. Our family always has enough money for food and a rent or mortgage payment. R
10. I let the kids get away with breaking the rules
11. When our children get their feelings hurt, they come to me for comfort. R
12. Sometimes I yell at my children without thinking about what I’m saying.
13. Monday through Friday, the same people sit down and eat dinner together. R
14. I let my children know on a regular basis that they’re important to me, R
15. Whether or not I discipline the children when they act up depends on my mood at the time.
16. My children tell me when something is bothering them. R
17. On weekdays, it’s easier if everyone just gets their own dinner.
18. How I’ll act from one situation to another is unpredictable.
19. I show my children the same amount of affection from day to day. R
20. People leave home without eating breakfast.
21. Some months we have plenty of money to spend, other months we’re quite poor.
22. When I catch the children misbehaving, they get away with it.