Assessment of cohesion and adaptability in component family dyads: A question of convergent and discriminant validity.

Abstract

In the assessment of family cohesion and adaptability, researchers typically overlook the possibility that different components of the family may be more cohesive or adaptable than others. This potential problem is often compounded by monomethodism, reliance on a single source of information. Using a multitrait-multimethod approach, we obtained three measures of cohesion and adaptability in three component dyads of relatively healthy families. Mothers, fathers, and college students reported about cohesion and adaptability in the mother-student, father-student, and mother-father relationships. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found significant differences in the convergent validities of mothers', fathers', and students' reports. Furthermore, significant differences emerged among the correlations between mother-father, mother-student, and father-student cohesion (and adaptability), which suggests that noteworthy differences exist between family subsystems on these constructs. Implications for assessment strategies in marital and family counseling are discussed.

The Design and Analysis of Social-Interaction Research

“…In traditional nuclear family interactions, persons can be distinguished by the roles of mother, father, and child. Cole & Jordan's (1991) study has this family structure. Also, the individual members of Tziner & Eden's (1985) tank crews had different roles.…”

“…When roles are fixed, as they are in the Cole & Jordan (1991) data set, the data can often be separated into discrete variables and then analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis. Computer programs such as EQS and LISREL can be used.…”

“…Cole & Jordan's (1991) family rating study would serve as such a design if each person had been asked to rate the other family members. Instead, they were asked to rate dyads, not individual family members, so the study is triadic, not dyadic.…”

“…The research participants were seven-to nine-year-old African-American males preselected on the basis of sociometric measures. Cole & Jordan (1991): Members of 121 three-person families-mother, father, and child (a college student)-rated all three family dyads (mother-father, mother-child, and father-child) on cohesion. Kashy (1991): A total of 77 college students reported on their level of intimacy with 1437 partners.…”

Couple and Family Assessment

“…Examining the interactions of various family dyads (e.g., a couple within the family) and triads (e.g., two parents and a child) may be more useful than examining the family as a whole (Bray, 1995a;Cole & Jordan, 1989;Cook & Kenny, 2004;Dickstein et al, 1998;Hetherington & Clingempeel, 1992;Hetherington & Kelly, 2002). Sometimes, information from smaller family subgroups can lead to more focused treatment plans.…”