Psychometric properties of the Portuguese adaptation of general functioning of family assessment device: a comparative study

Introduction: The General Family Functioning is a subscale of the Family Assessment Device (FAD) that assess overall family functioning. This study analyzed the psychometric properties of the General Family Functioning subscale in Portuguese families with adolescents diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and healthy adolescents comparing also family functioning in both samples. Method: A total of 100 parents of adolescents with Type I Diabetes and 106 parents of healthy adolescents participated in this study. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed for both samples to analyze the adequacy of each model. Results: Both confirmatory factor analyses maintained the design in one-factor models with good fit indexes. The internal consistency in both samples was good, but slightly higher in parents of healthy adolescents. The instrument also presented good convergent and divergent validity. Discussion: The Portuguese version of the General Family Functioning subscale showed good psychometric properties and reliability in healthy adolescents and in adolescent with Type I Diabetes.