Family Functioning: A Review of Empirical Studies on Assessment Measures (FAD, FACES-IV and SCORE-15)

As teorias psicológicas sobre a família definem fatores que devem ser avaliados como a composição e o processo familiar, os quais incluem interações, afetividade, papéis e regras dos membros da família. Este estudo visa a análise dos instrumentos de avaliação familiar frequentemente utilizados na Europa e no Brasil nos últimos 11 anos. Selecionaram-se artigos de pesquisas empíricas, sendo que a maioria dos resultados validou os instrumentos Family Assessment Device (FAD), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV (FACES-IV) e Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation-15 (SCORE-15). A escala do FAD General Functioning of Family (GFF) e o SCORE-15 obtiveram melhores avaliações em pesquisas transculturais. O SCORE-15 destaca-se pelos resultados mais promissores: trata-se de um medida familiar contemporânea e breve, com sensibilidade à mudança terapêutica comprovada, e praticidade na aplicação.Psychological theories regarding family functioning suggest the assessment of specific variables, such as family process and its composition, which includes dimensions as interactions, affection, rules and roles of family members. The present study aims to analyze family measures widely used to assess family functioning in Brazil and Europe in the past 11 years. Empirical research, selected according to specific criteria, reveals that the Family Assessment Device (FAD), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV (FACES-IV) and Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation-15 (SCORE-15) represent valid assessment tools. General Functioning of Family (GFF), a FAD subscale, and SCORE-15 obtained more adequate psychometric properties in transcultural studies. SCORE-15 stands out due to its promising results: it is a brief contemporary family measure, with proven sensitiveness to therapeutic change and ease of use