Initial Psychometric Properties of the Catalight Family Wellbeing Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Family Wellbeing
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)

Background:

• Family wellbeing is crucial in behavioral health treatment for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD).
• Historically, wellbeing for families with I/DD is lower than the general population.
• Measuring family wellbeing alongside individual wellbeing is vital for comprehensive care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the initial psychometric properties of the Catalight Family Wellbeing Scale.
• To establish the reliability and validity of the scale for use with families of children with I/DD.
• To provide a tool for assessing family wellbeing in diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• The Catalight Family Wellbeing Scale was administered to 3106 families with a child diagnosed with I/DD.
• Psychometric analyses included internal reliability, factor structure, and convergent/divergent validity.
• Data were collected during the onboarding process for behavioral health treatment.

Main Results:

• The scale demonstrated very strong internal reliability and a clear three-factor structure.
• Validity analyses indicated a moderate positive correlation with parental self-efficacy and a moderate negative correlation with parental stress.
• The diverse sample included multiple co-occurring diagnoses alongside I/DD.

Conclusions:

• The Catalight Family Wellbeing Scale exhibits positive initial psychometric properties.
• The scale is supported for use with diverse families of children with I/DD.
• This tool can aid in assessing and improving family wellbeing within behavioral health contexts.