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Family System Test (FAST): the relevance of parental family constructs for clinical intervention

T M Gehring1, M Candrian, D Marti

  • 1University of Zürich, Department of Social Medicine, Switzerland.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|January 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Parents

Area of Science:

  • Family psychology
  • Child psychiatry
  • Clinical psychology

Background:

  • Parental family representations influence child psychosocial health.
  • Family structure, including cohesion and boundaries, is critical.
  • Understanding these dynamics aids clinical intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Compare family representations in parents of healthy versus distressed children.
  • Describe family structure changes post-parent-level intervention.
  • Investigate the link between parental family constructs and offspring well-being.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Family System Test (FAST) for family representation assessment.
  • Compared family structures between parents with healthy and biopsychosocially distressed children.
  • Described changes in family structure following parent-level interventions.

Main Results:

  • Parental family constructs correlate with offspring health and clinical outcomes.
  • Parents of psychiatric patients reported low cohesion and unclear generational boundaries.
  • Post-intervention, families achieved balanced structures as desired.

Conclusions:

  • Family structure and cohesion are linked to child mental health.
  • Parent-level interventions can positively reshape family dynamics.
  • Family System Test (FAST) is effective in assessing and guiding therapeutic change.

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