Self-report family assessment instruments provide family members a way to communicate how the family system is working for them when they may not be able to conceptualize and verbally communicate that information directly and quickly to the family therapist. Developing reliable and valid instruments is quite a challenge, as indicated from the development of the preceding
CHILDAND FAMILY ASSESSMENT 169 instruments. However, those described instruments are designed for children approximately age 10 and above. How does a therapist hear the voice of the child younger than age 10? The younger the child is, the more the child functions on an intuitive metaphorical level. Consequently, instruments for children must be based on their communication styles.
SAFE Cartoons
Instrument name. The SAFE Cartoons instrument was adapted from the Sys- temic Assessment of the Family Environment (SAFE) described earlier.
Type of instrument. This single-page set of four cartoons is flexibly used with verbal instructions to children.
Variables measured. The assessment tool uses four cartoon drawings of family interactions involving parents and children but omitting grandparents: (a) father, mother, brother, and sister all holding hands and smiling with the children connected between the parents; (b) father and mother fighting with brother and sister watching helplessly; (c) mother, father, sister, and brother smiling (sister and brother are much larger in size than mother and father); and (d) mother and father watching helplessly as brother and sister fight while standing in front of the parents. These four pictures equate to the competent, discordant, disoriented, and chaotic quadrants in the scor- ing grid of the SAFE instrument.
Use–target audience. The SAFE Cartoons were developed for use with children age 10 and under to elicit communication about stressors in family func- tioning that are affecting the child.
Multicultural. The cartoons used are generic as to skin color, although specific racial characteristics have not been developed to relate to various cultures.
Conversation with the child can be adjusted to account for cultural factors.
Ease and time of administration. This can be less than 5 minutes or expanded to the extent to which the child will continue to describe family functioning.
Scoring procedure. Children are handed a copy of the cartoon page and asked to tell the therapist which picture reminds them most of their family and why. If only one cartoon is selected, the therapist may ask if the family ever looks like any other of the cartoons and, if so, when. Comments from the child are recorded on the sheet by the therapist for the case file.
Reliability. This is not available.
Validity. This is not available.
Availability and source. The cartoon drawings are available in the GARF Assess- ment Sourcebook (Yingling et al., 1998) and www.SystemsMediation.com.
Comment. This tool has proven valuable in eliciting information about family functioning. Children will often comment that children are/are not bigger than the parents in this family (disoriented family). They will also talk about the parents fighting and how helpless they feel (discordant family).
Insisting that the family is always the competent cartoon is a clue that something may be hidden in this family, resulting in the children feeling unsafe to be truthful.
GARF Self-Report for Families
Instrument Name. The GARF Self-Report for Families was developed by Dr.
Alice McDonald.
Type of instrument. Selection of the most representative fairy tale provides a
“quantitative” global rating similar to the GARF. However, the instrument is used primarily to elicit discussion about stressors and strengths in the family from the child’s perspective.
Variables measured. Five brief descriptions of somewhat modified but familiar fairy tales are printed: (a) The Three Bears; (b) Little Red Riding Hood; (c) Cinderella; (d) Hansel and Gretel; and (e) The Ugly Duckling. Descriptions are written to parallel the descriptors of the five levels of the GARF.
Use–target audience. Children ages 8 to 12 make up the targeted group, depending on reading level.
Multicultural. The fairy tales used are rather universal, although the language available at this time is limited to English.
Ease and time of administration. Depending on the reading level, the child will likely take 10 to15 minutes to read through the fairy tales. Discussion time with the therapist varies.
Scoring procedure. Directions are for children to read through each story and decide which fairy tale is most like the family they live in right now; the selected story equates to one of the five quintiles in the GARF. If children are too young to read, the story can be read to them. To gain more specific information from older children who read well, the therapist can ask chil- dren to underline any descriptors in any of the five stories that remind them of their family.
Reliability. This is not available.
Validity. This is not available.
Availability and source. The instrument is available in the GARF Assessment Sourcebook (Yingling et al., 1998) and at www.SystemsMediation.com.
Comment. The underlined characteristics provide a great opportunity to dis- cuss with the therapist their family problems on a metaphorical fairy tale level which feels safer for the child.
Kinetic Family Drawing Test
Instrument name. The Kinetic Family Drawing Test (KFD).
Type of instrument. This is a projective drawing measure of family functioning.
Use–target audience. This instrument is used primarily with children and ado- lescents, although all family members can participate.
Multicultural. The KFD has no cultural limits.
Ease and time of administration. Completion of the drawing generally requires less than 20 minutes.
Scoring procedure. The projective technique has very subjective interpretations and is perhaps more useful as a clinical tool to talk about feelings in the picture.
Reliability. Interscorer agreement is reported as .87 to .95.
CHILDAND FAMILY ASSESSMENT 171 Validity. Low and variable reports exist.
Availability and source. This instrument is distributed by Western Psychologi- cal Services, Inc.
Comment. The KFD (see chapter 4 for a full description) has been used to pro- vide the greatest control of the child in communicating family functioning, although interpretation is subjectively controlled by the therapist/researcher.