Self-Report Family Instrument – SFI
A 36-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess family functioning across dimensions of competence, conflict, cohesion, expressiveness, and leadership.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Self-Report Family Instrument – SFI was developed by W. Robert Beavers, Robert B. Hampson, & Y. F. Hulgus (1985). It is designed to measure Family Functioning. The scale is intended for use with Families and individuals rating their family system.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 36 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Family Health/Competence, Family Conflict, Family Cohesion, Family Expressiveness, Directive Leadership, Family Communication.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Family Health/Competence | 2,3,4,6,12,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,24,25,27,28,33,35,36 | 19 |
| Family Conflict | 5,6,7,8,10,14,18,24,25,30,31,34 | 12 |
| Family Cohesion | 2,15,19,27,36 | 5 |
| Family Expressiveness | 1,9,13,20,22 | 5 |
| Directive Leadership | 8,16,32 | 3 |
| Family Communication | 11,23,26,29 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Fits our family very well, 2 = Fits our family well, 3 = Fits our family somewhat, 4 = Does not fit our family well, 5 = Does not fit our family.
The scale includes 18 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 36 to 180. Interpretation guidelines:
- Competent/Healthy Family Functioning: 36 – 72
- Moderate/Borderline Family Functioning: 73 – 120
- Severely Dysfunctional Family Functioning: 121 – 180
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .84 to .93 for the subscales.
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.