ABSTRACT

The study reported here explains the development of a Malaysian Family Functioning Scale (MFFS) that can be used by researchers and practitioners in the field of marriage and family therapy. Results show that the MFFS validly measures the functioning of Malaysian families. Items used in the instrument were developed based on data gathered from Focus Group interviews with family experts and consolidated with findings from previous studies. A total of 121 items for the MFFS were produced and tested using a pilot test. Following the pilot test, an initial scale of 121 items was administered to 233 participants. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted on the items in the MFFS resulted in the extraction of four factors consisting of 30 items. Confirmatory factor analysis using data from 350 participants was subsequently conducted to verify the validity of the four factors discovered through EFA, which are Communication, Cohesion, Rules, and Roles. The study reported here shows that the MFFS is a reliable and valid measure that can be used by researchers and practitioners to understand the level of family functioning across different ethnic groups in Malaysia. There may be valid applications to other collectivist societies as well.

摘要

此处报道的研究解释了马来西亚家庭功能量表（MFFS）的发展，该表可供研究人员和从业人员在婚姻和家庭治疗领域使用。结果表明，MFFS有效地衡量了马来西亚家庭的运转情况。仪器中使用的项目是根据焦点小组与家庭专家的访谈收集的数据开发的，并与先前研究的结果合并在一起。MFFS总共生产了121个项目，并使用中试进行了测试。在试点测试之后，最初的121项量表被分配给233名参与者。对MFFS中项目进行的探索性因素分析（EFA）导致提取了由30个项目组成的四个因素。随后使用来自350个参与者的数据进行验证性因素分析，以验证通过全民教育发现的四个因素的有效性，即沟通，内聚性，规则和角色。此处的研究报告表明，MFFS是一种可靠且有效的措施，研究人员和从业人员可以使用该措施来了解马来西亚不同种族群体的家庭功能水平。也可能有其他集体主义社会的有​​效申请。