Family Environment Scale (FES) : Sample Report

Purpose of the Test

To assess the family environment of the subject by administering “Family Environment Scale” (FES) by Moos and Moos.

Introduction

Definition of Family Environment 

1. “The family environment as a structural organization and the roles and boundaries within the family system.” (Salvador Minuchin, 1974)
2.  “Family environment as the emotional climate and the quality of relationships within the family.” Hetherington (1999)
3. “The family environment is the context within which children learn and develop social and emotional skills.” (Parke 2004)

The Family Environment Scale (FES) is composed of 10 subscales that measure actual, preferred, & expected family social environments. The 10 FES subscales assess three sets of dimensions:

1. Relationship dimensions
2. Personal Growth (or goal orientation) dimensions
3. System Maintenance dimensions

The relationship & system maintenance dimensions primarily reflect internal family functioning, the personal growth dimensions primarily reflect the linkages between the family & the larger social context.

Family environment Scale : 10 subscales

Description of test

• Name : Family Environment Scale (FES)
• Authors : Rudolf Moos & Bernice Moos
• Editions : 1981, 1984, 1994 and 2009.
• Type : Self-Report Inventory
• Items : 90 dichotomous items (True/ False)
• No. of Sub-scales : 10 (9 item/ sub-scale)
• Forms of FES :
  • The Real Form (Form-R) : It measures people’s perception of their CURRENT family environment.
  • The Ideal Form (Form-I) : It measures people’s perception about IDEAL family environment.
  • The Expectations Form (Form-E) : It measures people’s perception about EXPECTATIONS family environment.

Form-I and Form-E goes parallel to Form-R, i.e each of the 90 items in these forms corresponds to an item in Form-R. The scoring keys and answer sheet for these three forms are identical.

Psychometric Properties of the test

Reliability

Internal consistency reliability estimates for the Form-R sub-scales range from .61 to .78. Intercorrelations among these 10 subscales suggest that the scales are relative distinct characteristics of family environment and has reasonable homogeneity.

Test Retest reliability was used for this scale in individual scores of 10 sub-scales for the interval of 2 months, 4 months and 12 months successively. All are in acceptable range, varying from .68 for independence to high for .86 for cohesion.

Validity

The Face validity and content validity of the instrument are supported by clear statements about family situations that relate to subscale domain.

Evidence of Construct validity is presented in the manual through comparative descriptions of distressed and normal family samples.

Norms

The Normative data on the Form-R subscales were collected for 1125 normal and 500 distressed families. The sub-sample of normal families includes families from all the areas of country, single-parent and multi-generational families, from various ethnic minority groups and families of all the age groups. (Moos, Finney and Chan, 2009).

The total raw score for each subscale is converted into Standard score and then further interpreted as High, Average or Low. 

Application of Test

Family assessments are most useful when a family is encountering a life crisis or transition or when it needs a change. These assessments can help people better understand their family, learn how other family member perceive the family, & become more aware of how their behaviour & ways of coping affect the family.

• To diagnose the problem
• Before change
• To promote change
• After change
• To appraise & improve parenting
• To strengthen the family unit
• To identify risks

Methodology

Test Material

1. FES Manual for Administration and Interpretation
2. Instruction sheet
3. Question Booklet (Form-R)
4. Answer sheet
5. Scoring Key – Stencil

Case History

• Family background (type of family, no. of family members, etc.)
• Family structure (who generally takes decision/ & how do others react/accept those decisions?)
• How are their family relations?
• What are their recreational interests?/ Outdoor activities/ trips, etc.
• About the degree of freedom in their family (freedom to make choices/decisions/etc.)
• Do they generally express their opinions and pursue their Interests?
• Who is more strict? (Mother/father/sister/brother/etc.)

Procedure

All the required test materials were arranged beforehand. The subject was called into the cubicle and rapport was established. Relevant case history information was collected to gain an understanding of the subject’s background and family context. The purpose of the test and its importance in assessing family environment dimensions were explained clearly. Accurate and standardized instructions, as outlined in the test manual, were given. The question booklet and answer sheet were provided to the subject. The testing process was monitored to ensure the subject followed the guidelines without being influenced.

After the test was completed, each sub-scale was scored carefully using the scoring stencil. Raw scores were converted to standard scores using the table provided in Appendix A (manual). The calculations were double-checked to ensure accuracy. The results were interpreted based on the standard scores. Individual sub-scale scores and overall patterns were considered to draw meaningful conclusions about the family environment.

Instructions

There are 90 statements in this booklet. They are statements about families. You are to decide which of these statements are true of your family and which are false. Make all your marks on the separate answer sheets. If you think statement is True or mostly True of your family, make an X in the box labeled T (true). If you think the statement is False or mostly False of your family, make an X in the box labeled F (False).

You may feel that some of the statements are true for some family members and false for others. Mark T if the statement is true for most members. Mark F if the statement is false for most members. If the members are evenly, divided, decide what is the stronger overall impression and answer accordingly.

Remember, we would like to know what your family seems like to you. So do not try to figure out how other members see your family, but do give us your general impression of your family for each statement.

Precautions

1. Environment should be distraction free.
2. Rapport should be established before the testing.
3. Relevant case history should be taken.
4. Give standardized instructions.
5. Ask subject to give their own impression of the family.
6. Use stencil properly to calculate the scores for each sub-scale.
7. Ensure that respondents understand the purpose of the assessment and how their data will be used.
8. Results should be interpreted in context, considering the individual’s background, cultural influences, and current life circumstances.

Result Tables

Result table : FES

Interpretation

The purpose of Family Environment Scale (FES) is to assess the current perception of family environment of the subject. The test consists of 3 dimensions and 10 sub-scales, namely : Cohesion, Expressiveness, Conflict, Independence, Achievement orientation, Intellectual culture, Active-Recreational, Moral-Religious Emphasis, Organization and Control.

For the first sub-scale i.e cohesion, the raw score was __, converted as __ standard score is interpreted as high. The case history of the subject supported the results as (evidence from the case history).

For the sub-scale of Expressiveness, the the raw score was __, converted as __ standard score is interpreted as Average. The case history …….

Conclusion

The overall test evaluation suggests that the subject has healthy/ unhealthy family environment. With overall *high to average* score on relationship dimension, *average* score on personal growth and system maintenance dimensions.

Study more sample reports on psychological tests

References

Kapoor, T. & Sethi, S.R. (2024). The Impact of Family Environment on Self-esteem and Resilience among College Day Scholars and Hostellers. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 12(2), 1385-1405. DIP:18.01.122.20241202, DOI:10.25215/1202.122

Moos, R. H., Insel, P. M., & Humphrey, B. (1974). Preliminary manual for Family Environment Scale, Work Environment Scale, Group Environment Scale. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Moos, R., & Moos, B. (2009). Family Environment Scale manual and sampler set: Development, applications and research (4th ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Mind Garden.

Lanz, M., Maino, E. (2014). Family Environment Scale. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_999