http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Exploring the technical adequacy of the family interaction inventory
The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties associated with the newly developed Family Interaction Inventory. The Family Interaction Inventory is an instrument developed in 1991 and is designed to measure family interaction using a self-report questionnaire. The current literature in this area indicated that while there indeed are several measures available, they are lacking due to the omission of cross-theoretical constructs of family interaction. This instrument was developed with the hopes of providing a measure with good psychometric properties, clinical utility, and research potential. In order to determine specific psychometric properties of the Family Interaction Inventory, the following five research questions were asked: What are the item and scale means and standard deviations for the FII? Do the item and scale means and standard deviations differ across, or are they related to, such demographic variables as gender, age, ethnicity, academic achievement, number of siblings, birth order, marital status, parent's marital status, and family SES? Do selected combinations of the aforementioned demographic variables interact to affect the above differences? What is the reliability of the FII and how is the error variance partitioned among internal consistency, test retest, and alternate forms sources of error? Is there a relationship between a Social Desirability Scale and item and scale scores from the FII? This study was conducted using a sample of 664 undergraduate students who were administered the preliminary version of the Family Interaction Inventory. A sub-sample of 76 was also administered the inventory twice in a two week period to provide reliability data. The major findings of the current study indicate that the Family Interaction Inventory is an instrument with promise. While there were several difference among the different demographic variables assessed which indicate the need for separate norms, the data indicated that these were reliable scores. In addition, the instrument was only moderately related to social desirability and therefore was not excessively affected by a desire to look favorable. Suggestions for additional research on and revisions to this instrument are provided.