Family Organized Cohesiveness Scale – FOS
Measures family structure, organization, and cohesiveness across dimensions of cohesiveness, sharedness, clarity of leadership, and clarity of rules.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Family Organized Cohesiveness Scale – FOS was developed by L. Fisher, D.C. Ransom, H.E. Terry, S. Burge (1992). It is designed to measure Family Organized Cohesiveness. The scale is intended for use with Families and adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 13 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Cohesiveness, Sharedness, Clarity of Leadership, Clarity of Rules.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Cohesiveness | 1,6,9,12 | 4 |
| Sharedness | 10,11,13 | 3 |
| Clarity of Leadership | 3,8 | 2 |
| Clarity of Rules | 2,4,5,7 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Mildly disagree, 4 = Mildly agree, 5 = Agree, 6 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 13 to 78. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Organized Cohesiveness: 13 – 34
- Moderate Organized Cohesiveness: 35 – 56
- High Organized Cohesiveness: 57 – 78
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.