Development of a family functioning measure for Hispanic lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents

Hispanic lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents experience elevated risks for HIV-related risk behaviors, drug use, and mental-health problems. These problems may be impacted by various family functioning behaviors (e.g., communication, parental involvement). However, existing family functioning measures may not adequately capture the culturally shaped, identity-specific family processes relevant to this population. Thus, we iteratively developed a user-informed measure of family functioning for Hispanic LGB adolescents.

The study was conducted across phases from February to December 2025: (1) focus groups with Hispanic LGB adolescents to identify domains of family functioning and inform an initial item pool, (2) a modified Delphi panel of experts and community partners to evaluate feasibility and validity, and (3) cognitive interviews with Hispanic LGB adolescents to assess face validity.

Focus groups identified five domains of family functioning: (1) communication about sexual orientation and identity, (2) emotional safety and selective disclosure in the family, (3) caregiver misattunement and invalidating communication, (4) cultural expectations and identity expression in the family, and (5) parental involvement, monitoring, and shared family life. The Delphi process refined an initial 32-item pool to 22 items, improving clarity, specificity, and cultural congruence. Cognitive interviews revealed that the developed items provided strong evidence of face validity and relevance; adolescents also provided suggestions for refinements that focused on identity expression and conditional acceptance. The final measure includes 23 items.

This study produced a culturally responsive family functioning measure grounded in Hispanic LGB adolescents' lived experiences.