Scale Overview
The Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes – FILE was developed by Hamilton I. McCubbin, Joan M. Patterson (1983). It is designed to measure Family Stress and Life Events. The scale is intended for use with Families / Parents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 71 items organized into 9 factors/subscales: Intra-Family Strains, Marital Strains, Pregnancy and Childbearing Strains, Finance and Business Strains, Work-Family Transitions and Strains, Illness and Family Care Strains, Losses, Transitions In and Out, Family Legal Violations.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Intra-Family Strains |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 |
17 |
| Marital Strains |
18,19,20,21 |
4 |
| Pregnancy and Childbearing Strains |
22,23,24,25 |
4 |
| Finance and Business Strains |
26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37 |
12 |
| Work-Family Transitions and Strains |
38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47 |
10 |
| Illness and Family Care Strains |
48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55 |
8 |
| Losses |
56,57,58,59,60,61 |
6 |
| Transitions In and Out |
62,63,64,65,66 |
5 |
| Family Legal Violations |
67,68,69,70,71 |
5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = No, 1 = Yes.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 71. Interpretation guidelines:
- Total number of family life events experienced: 0 – 71
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.81.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.