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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Family cohesion and conflict in an American Indian community
Nicolette I Teufel-Shone1, Lisa K Staten, Sandra Irwin
1Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. teufel@u.arizona.edu
Objective:
To assess the feasibility of using a portion of the Family Environment Scale (FES) with American Indian families and to describe the mean family profile exhibited by one Native community.
Methods:
The cohesion, expressiveness, conflict and active-recreational orientation subscales of the FES were administered to 130 adults, representing 65 families.
Results:
Mean responses reveal a pattern of average levels of cohesion and expressiveness, concurrent with high levels of family conflict.
Conclusions:
Outcomes illustrate the feasibility and utility of this scale in assessing and guiding health promotion services within Native communities. Results suggest Native families have a distinctive family profile.
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