The association between the quality of family relationships and child psychopathology

Abstract

Past research has examined the association between family relationships and child psychopathology utilizing a variety of methods. Most recently, examinations of family variables using paper and pencil measures have become common practice, given their practicality and high potential for clinical utility. However, despite such widespread use of these measures (e.g., PES; Moos & Moos, 1976), there is little evidence to support their appropriateness within a clinical realm. The present investigation therefore sought to examine whether a widely available measure of theoretically important family relationship constructs would perform adequately within a sample of children experiencing clinical difficulties. Questionnaires examining family relationships and affective and behavioral symptomatology, as well as a semi-structured diagnostic interview, were administered to 51 youths, ages six to seventeen, seeking mental health evaluations from the Child and Adolescent Stress and Anxiety Program. Results indicated that the measurement of the family environment by the child report was unreliable. However, the parental report of Cohesion and Conflict demonstrated adequate reliability. Among those scales that were reliable only one significant association was observed, with poorer global family relationships negatively correlated with parental report of child internalizing symptomatology.