Family Coping Index – FAMCI
Measures the coping strategies and behaviors families use to manage difficulties and adapt to stressful situations.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Family Coping Index – FAMCI was developed by Hamilton I. McCubbin, Anne I. Thompson, & Kelly M. Elver (1996). It is designed to measure Family Coping Strategies. The scale is intended for use with Families and adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 24 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: seeking professional and spiritual guidance, seeking family and neighbor support, affirming the family’s confidence.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| seeking professional and spiritual guidance | 6,9,13,16,17,19,22 | 7 |
| seeking family and neighbor support | 1,2,4,5,8,10,14,21,23 | 9 |
| affirming the family’s confidence | 3,7,11,12,15,18,20,24 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 24 to 120. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Coping Strategy Utilization: 24 – 56
- Moderate Coping Strategy Utilization: 57 – 88
- High Coping Strategy Utilization: 89 – 120
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of seeking professional and spiritual guidance (alpha = 0.80), seeking family and neighbor support (alpha = 0.78), affirming the family’s confidence (alpha = 0.70).
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.