Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-21T02:50:50.511Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relationship with Family of Origin Scale (REFAMOS)

Interrater reliability and associations with childhood experiences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Jonathan Hill ,
Erica Mackie ,
Linda Banner ,
Helena Kondryn  and
Val Blair
Jonathan Hill*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Liverpool
Erica Mackie
Affiliation:
Department of Child Health, Southampton General Hospital
Linda Banner
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool
Helena Kondryn
Affiliation:
Department of Child Health, University of Manchester
Val Blair
Affiliation:
CRC Paediatric and Familial Cancer Research Group, Manchester
*
Professor Jonathan Hill, Alder Hey Hospital, Eaton Road, Liverpool LI2 2AP
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Family relationships in the transition from childhood to adult life may be important mediators of risk and resilience for adult psychopathology.

Aims

To develop a reliable and valid measure of the quality of relationships with each parent in young adults.

Method

Interrater reliability of the Relationship with Family of Origin Scale (REFAMOS) was assessed from audio-taped interviews with 59 subjects. Age-related trends and associations with recalled childhood relationships were examined in survivors of childhood cancer and their controls (n=178).

Results

Intraclass correlation coefficients were in the range 0.69–0.95, and κ values 0.80–0.82. Indices of current closeness to mothers were negatively correlated with age of subject and positively correlated with recalled maternal care in childhood. Negative qualities in current relationships were correlated with recalled overprotection.

Conclusions

The REFAMOS has good interrater reliability, and shows the predicted age-related trends in scores and associations with recalled childhood relationships.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 175 , Issue 6 , December 1999 , pp. 565 - 570
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Declaration of interest

The Manchester Children's Tumour Registry is funded by the Cancer Research Campaign, H. K. was funded by the Cancer Research Campaign, and L. B. by the Friends of Rosie Children's Cancer Research Fund.

References

American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) (DSM–IV). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Bartko, J. J. & Carpenter, W. T. (1976) On the methods and theory of reliability. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 163, 307–317.Google Scholar
Bifulco, A., Brown, G. W. & Adler, Z. (1991) Early sexual abuse and clinical depression in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 115–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bifulco, A., Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. O. (1987) Childhood loss of parent, lack of adequate parental care and adult depression: a replication. Journal of Affective Disorders, 12, 115–128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, G. W. & Rutter, M. (1966) The measurement of family activities and relationships: methodological study. Human Relations, 19, 241–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. E. (1993) Aetiology of anxiety and depressive disorders in an inner-city population: early adversity. Psychological Medicine, 23, 143–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheesbrough, M. & Hill, J. (1996) Relationships in families: a comparison of therapist inferences and family responses. Journal of family Therapy, 18, 79–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duggan, C., Sham, P. Minne, C., et al (1998) Quality of parenting and vulnerability to depression: results from a family study. Psychological Medicine, 28, 185–191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fergusson, B. M., Horwood, J. & Linshey, M. T. (1996) Childhood sexual abuse and psychiatric disorder in young adulthood: II. Psychiatric outcomes of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 1365–1374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, J., Harrington, R., Fudge, H., et al (1989) Adult Personalty Functioning Assessment (APFA). An investigator-based standardised interview. British Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 24–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, J., Fudge, H., Harrington, R., et al (1995) The Adult Personality Functioning Assessment (APFA): factors influencing agreement between subject and informant. Psychologicol Medicine, 25, 263–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendler, K. S. (1995) Genetic epidemiology in psychiatry. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 895–899.Google Scholar
Kendler, K. S., Kessler, R. C., Neil, M. C., et al (1993) The prediction of major depression in women: toward an integrated etiological model. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1139–1148.Google Scholar
Kendler, K. S., Neil, M. C., Prescott, C. A., et al (1996) Childhood parental loss and alcoholism in women: a causal analysis using a twin family design. Psychologicol Medicine, 26, 79–95.Google Scholar
Levy, D. M. (1943) Maternal Overprotection. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
McCarthy, G. & Taylor, A. (1999) Avoidant/ambivalent attachment style as a mediator between abusive childhood experiences and adult relationship difficulties. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 465–477.Google Scholar
Mullan, P. E., Martin, J. L., Anderson, J. C., (1993) Childhood sexual abuse and mental health in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 721–732.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, G. (1981) Parental reports of depressives: an investigation of several explanations. Journal of Affective Disorders, 3, 131–140.Google Scholar
Parker, G. (1989) The Parental Bonding Instrument: psychometric properties reviewed. Psychiatric Development, 4, 317–335.Google Scholar
Parker, G., Kiioh, L. & Hayward, L. (1987) Parental representations of neurotic and endogenous depressives. Journal of Affective Disorders, 13, 75–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quinton, D., Rutter, M. & Rowlands, O. (1976) An evaluation of an interview assessment of marriage. Psychological Medicine, 6, 577–586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodgers, B. (1996) Reported parental behaviour and adult affective Symptoms: I. Associations and moderating factors. Psychologicol Medicine, 26, 51–61.Google Scholar
Schauten, H. J. (1986) Nominal scale agreement among observers, Psychometrika, 51, 435–466.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.