Assessment of basic family relationships: Portuguese validation of the “Cuestionario de Evaluación de las Relaciones Familiares Básicas” (CERFB)

Clinical intervention with families benefits from the accurate evaluation of family dynamics, requiring the development of assessment instruments that allow for a systematic data collection and comprehension of family relations. The present study aimed to examine psychometric properties – factor structure, reliability and convergent and divergent validity – of the Portuguese Version of the “Cuestionario de Evaluación de las Relaciones Familiares Básicas” (CERFB – Basic Family Relations Questionnaire), using two non-clinical convenience samples with adult couples, having at least one biological child in common (older than 11 years old) living with them. Sample 1 included 150 participants (75 couples, analysed independently), aged between 31 and 61 years-old; sample 2 comprised 228 participants (114 couples, analysed independently), aged between 30 and 73 years-old. An Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted with sample 1, replicating the factor structure of the original version of the CERFB (two factors – marital and parental). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted with sample 2, confirming the hypothesized model supported by good fit indexes. Results regarding reliability (assessed through Cronbach’s Alpha) and convergent and divergent validity (using the Portuguese versions of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Parental Stress Scale) indicate the appropriateness of CERFB in Portuguese context as a useful measure to simultaneously assess marital and parental dimensions of family functioning.