CYDS Family Assessment Scale
Measures family functioning, cohesion, communication, organization, support, and beliefs about family and child development.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The CYDS Family Assessment Scale was developed by Patrick H. Tolan, Deborah Gorman-Smith, David H. Olson, Rudolf H. Moos (1991). It is designed to measure Family functioning, cohesion, and beliefs. The scale is intended for use with Youths and families.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 105 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Beliefs About Family, Beliefs About Development, Beliefs About Purpose, Cohesion, Deviant Beliefs, Support, Organization, Communication.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Beliefs About Family | 61,63,65,67,68,72,74,76,77,78 | 10 |
| Beliefs About Development | 74,76,77,78 | 4 |
| Beliefs About Purpose | 61,63,65,67,68,72 | 6 |
| Cohesion | 31,38,43,51,56 | 5 |
| Deviant Beliefs | 89,90,93,94 | 4 |
| Support | 2,10,11,15,19,23 | 6 |
| Organization | 5,54,60,62,101,102 | 6 |
| Communication | 3,21,28 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree, 4 = Strongly Agree.
The scale includes 12 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 10 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- Beliefs About Family (Range: 10-40): 10 – 40
- Beliefs About Development (Range: 4-16): 4 – 16
- Beliefs About Purpose (Range: 6-24): 6 – 24
- Cohesion (Range: 5-20): 5 – 20
- Deviant Beliefs (Range: 4-16): 4 – 16
- Support (Range: 6-24): 6 – 24
- Organization (Range: 6-24): 6 – 24
- Communication (Range: 3-12): 3 – 12
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.