Psychometric characteristics and factor structure of FACES III in a sample of families at psychosocial risk

Abstract

This study aimed to adapt and explore the psychometric properties of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III) with a sample of Portuguese families at psychosocial risk. This instrument is the most used for the evaluation of family functioning according to the dimensions of the Circumplex Model of Family Systems. The instrument was applied to 388 parents of children who were followed by the Child Protection Services in the Algarve (south of Portugal). The FACES III was applied along with measures of parenting stress, parenting alliance and parenting sense of competence to test construct validity. The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the original two-factor solution. Cohesion showed high internal consistency and good construct validity; thus, it can be considered as a satisfactory measure of this dimension. Adaptability, on the other hand, showed poor psychometric properties; therefore, we suggest that this subscale is revised to improve its shortcomings. Our main results are discussed considering the different versions of the instrument.