[Verification of a family assessment instrument based on the framework of systemic organisation]

The verification of the Assessment of Strategies in Families Effectiveness (ASF-E) for use in German-speaking Europe is described. The ASF-E is a screening instrument for family health defined according to the Framework of Systemic Organization (Friedemann, 1991). It was first translated and adjusted to cultural differences in Switzerland in the early 1990s. This testing was the first in Germany and the second in Switzerland. The instrument had 26 initial items, each containing three statements expressing family strategies of which respondents are asked to select the one most like their family. The statements are rated from 1 to 3 with 3 expressing optimal health. In Germany, a group of 343, in Switzerland, a group of 209 people from the community with diverse ages and economic backgrounds completed the instrument. A Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation yielded 4 factors with Eigenvalues > 1. Eight items had to be eliminated due to skewed distribution or weak factor loadings. The final instrument had 18 items with acceptable reliability (Cronbach Alpha). The ASF-E can be used in Germany and Switzerland to conduct research with families and to estimate family health in conjunction with nursing interventions.