CHAPTER 16: Research and Assessment in Family Therapy Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice 6 th Edition Samuel T. Gladding Developed by Nathaniel N. Ivers, Wake Forest University © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

16-2 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Overview Types of Research Methods Available to Family Therapists The Place of Assessment in Family Therapy Research Findings in Family Therapy

16-3 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Importance of Research and Assessment Vitally interlinked with family therapy Most of the pioneers in family therapy employed research-based procedures to evaluate and work with families. In the 21 st century, family therapy has become even more redefined in its research and focus on real-life context The assessment of families is becoming stronger.

16-4 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Importance of Research in Family Therapy Knowledge Confirmation Accountability Practicality Uniqueness

16-5 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Research Findings in Family Therapy Findings from research on family therapy indicate in general that most individuals and families improve when they receive couple and family therapy. Contributions by Szapocznik: Development of brief strategic family therapy Formulation of structural ecosystems therapy Development of the Strategic Family Systems Rating Creation of one-person family therapy Efficacy of individual, psychodynamic, and child therapy versus family therapy

16-6 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Two Types of Family Therapy Research Quantitative Grew out of the scientific traditions of physics, chemistry, and biology Numbers Qualitative Rooted in the traditions of anthropology and sociology Words or other means Participatory evaluation research

16-7 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Difficulties in Family Therapy Research Complexity of relationships within families Time commitment needed to study the effects of family therapy Getting families to participate in research projects Ethical and regulatory standards National Research Act Belmont Report

16-8 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Research Design The way in which research is designed affects results Five categories of research design: Exploratory Descriptive Developmental Experimental Correlational

16-9 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Sampling Probability Samples Simple random assignment Systematic random assignment Stratified sample Nonprobability samples Convenience Snowball Purposive

16-10 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Instrumentation Self-report instruments External validity Construct validity Direct observational assessment Inter-rater reliability

16-11 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Procedure How families are studied Many different methods for study families Not neutral, as they reflect the epistemology of the investigator

16-12 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Theory Well-designed research is based on questions that have usually arisen from a theory Most family therapy is based on general systems theory

16-13 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Validity “The extent to which a measuring instrument measures what it was intended to measure” (Miller, 1986, p. 58) Three main measures of validity: Content Criterion Construct

16-14 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Reliability The consistency or dependency of a measure Perfect reliability is expressed as a correlational coefficient of 1.00, which is seldom achieved. An instrument can be reliable or consistent without being valid or accurate. However, an instrument cannot be valid or accurate without being reliable or consistent.

16-15 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Importance of Assessing Families Assessment procedure – any method used to measure characteristics of people, programs, or objects. Assessment is a vital part of family therapy Through assessment therapists gain information that helps them diagnose and respond systematically and appropriately to families

16-16 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Dimensions of Assessing Families Mostly based on a systemic approach Questions asked in family therapy are generally focused on transactions and relationships Fishman (1988) suggested four aspects of assessment for family therapists: Contemporary developmental pressures on the family History Structure Process

16-17 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Methods Used in Assessing Families Informal Methods of Assessment Couples Creativity Assessment Task (C-CAT) Family Assessment Form Direct Observation Formal Methods of Assessment More than 1,000 instruments are available to family therapists to assess families and couples Cover such diverse areas as intimacy, power, parenthood, and adjustment

16-18 Gladding, Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice, 6 th Ed. © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Common Formal Assessment Instruments Caring Days Inventory Family of Origin Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale Myers-Briggs Type Inventory Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Scales Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale McMaster Family Assessment Device