The family routines inventory: theoretical origins

This paper describes the conceptual foundation underlying the development of the Family Routines Inventory, a new instrument designed to measure the extent of predictability or routinization in the daily life of a family. The primary impetus for the development of this instrument is a theoretical perspective in which family routines are regarded as behaviors which may protect the health and well-being of family members by providing stability and continuity during periods of stressful change.