Assessing levels of adaptive functioning: The Role Functioning Scale

Abstract

This paper reports data on reliability and validity of the Role Functioning Scale (RFS) a measure of level of functioning of adults in four domains. Psychometric properties were tested on an inner city sample of 112 psychiatrically disturbed and well, predominantly African-American, low-income mothers of young children. The RFS has good interitem, test-retest, and interrater reliability. The four scales and global RFS Index discriminated accurately between well and disturbed subjects. The Global RFS Index was significantly correlated with self-esteem and degree of disturbance. Individual scales demonstrated predicted relationships with quality of childrearing and other independent behavioral indices. Results are discussed in terms of the unique information provided by the RFS and its potential contribution to treatment planning. © 1993 Human Sciences Press, Inc.