Description:
The 31-item self-report Family Resource Scale
(FRS) measures the adequacy of a family’s tangible and
intangible resources using a five-point scale, ranging from
(1) not at all adequate to (5) almost always adequate. The
scale covers such resources as food, shelter, financial resources,
transportation, health care, time to be with family, child
care, and time for self; which are generally organized from
the most to the least essential resource. A modified version
of the scales for teenage mothers is available.
Uses of Information: This scale determines the extent to
which different types of resources are adequate in the households
of young children. The lack of resources may be barriers to
the family's involvement in their child’s program, as
families with unmet basic needs may not have time or energy
to participate actively in the child's program. The book provides
a number of case studies to illustrate how the information
can be used.
Reliability: The research sample consisted of 45 mothers
of preschool retarded, handicapped, and developmentally at-risk
children participating in an early intervention program. (1)
Internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha): .92; split-half
reliability (using the Spearman-Brown formula): .95 (2) Test-retest
reliability (2 to 3 month interval): .52.
Validity: (1) Concurrent validity:
both the personal well-being (Dunst 1986a) and maternal commitment
(Dunst 1986b) measures were significantly related to the total
scale score (.57 and .63, respectively).
Method of Scoring: The parent (or family member) marks the
extent to which each of the resources is adequate for his/her
family by selecting one of the following responses: Does Not
Apply, Not At All Adequate, Seldom Adequate, Sometimes Adequate,
Usually Adequate, and Almost Always Adequate.
Interpretability: Those items rated Not At All Adequate or
Seldom Adequate may be evidence that these needs are not being
met. They can provide a basis for exploring with the family
the absence and need for these resources.
Training Support: None. However, a second book published
by Brookline Books, entitled Supporting and Strengthening
Families: Methods, Strategies, and Practices is a collection
of papers updating the ideas and practices described in Enabling
and Empowering Families, and building and elaborating upon
the model described in the earlier book.
Adaptations/Special Instructions for Individuals with Disabilities:
None
Report Preparation Support: The book provides a Family Support
Plan form and a Profile of Family Needs and Support form for
the agency to use. The needs and support form can be used
to record providers and the resources they are expected to
provide to help the family address an identified need. The
family support form enables the agency to mobilize resources
to address needs and to monitor the progress of the intervention. References:
Dunst, C.J. A Short Form Scale for Measuring Parental Health
and Well-Being. Unpublished manuscript. Morganton, NC: Family,
Infant and Preschool Program at Western Carolina Center, 1986a.
Dunst, C.J. Measuring Parent Commitment to Professionally-Prescribed,
Child-Level Interventions. Unpublished manuscript. Morganton,
NC: Family, Infant and Preschool Program at Western Carolina
Center, 1986b.
Dunst, Carl, Carol Trivette, and Angela Deal. Enabling and
Empowering Families: Principles & Guidelines for Practice.
Cambridge: Brookline Books, 1988.
Dunst, Carl, Carol Trivette, and Angela Deal. Supporting
and Strengthening Families: Methods, Strategies, and Practices.
Newton: Brookline Books, 1994.
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