Family environment: Seen through the eyes of adolescents labeled as emotionally disturbed

Emotionally disturbed adolescent\u27s perceptions of their family environments were assessed using the Family Environment Scale (FES)(Moos, 1994). The sample consisted of 27 students classified as emotionally disturbed according to the New York State Part 200 guidelines for special education, ranging in age from fourteen to eighteen, and falling into five family types: two-parent intact families, step families, extended families, single parent families, and other. Results indicate that subjects differ significantly from the FES normative sample on six often variables including Cohesion, Expression, Conflict, Achievement-Orientation, Intellectual-Cultural Orientation, and Moral-Religious Orientation. Findings suggest that family relationships and personal growth could be important targets of family based interventions with this population