Adolescent-Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes (A-FILE)
Measures the accumulation of life events and changes experienced by adolescents and their families to assess family stress and vulnerability.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Adolescent-Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes (A-FILE) was developed by Hamilton I. McCubbin & Joan M. Patterson (1987). It is designed to measure Family Life Events and Stressors. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and their families.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 50 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Transitions, Sexuality, Losses, Responsibilities and Strains, Substance, Legal Conflict.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Transitions | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 | 14 |
| Sexuality | 15,16,17,18 | 4 |
| Losses | 19,20,21,22,23,24,25 | 7 |
| Responsibilities and Strains | 26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44 | 19 |
| Substance | 45,46,47,48 | 4 |
| Legal Conflict | 49,50 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a dichotomous Yes/No format.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 50. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Family Stress accumulation: 0 – 10
- Moderate Family Stress accumulation: 11 – 20
- High Family Stress accumulation: 21 – 50
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.69 – 0.86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.