Adaptation of general family functioning assesment device (GF-FAD): its association with family adaptability, family belongingness and mental well being

Abstract Family functioning is crucial protective factor that supports a healthy family structure, fosters emotional growth, and enhances quality of life. This study examines the psychometric properties of the General Functioning Scale of the Family Assessment Device within a Turkish sample to evaluate its validity in evaluating family functionality. Two studies were conducted with distinct sample groups: Study-I ( N = 424, 70.3% women, 29.7% men, mean age = 25.65) tested the factorial validity and measurement invariance, while Study II ( N = 709, 65.9% women, 34.1% men, mean age = 22.63) examined structural relationships between family adaptability, belongingness, and mental well-being using structural equation modeling (SEM). Study I confirmed the 12-item unidimensional structure via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), utilizing maxiumum likelihood robust (MLR) estimator to accommodate ordinal data. Furthermore, reliability assessments showed acceptable internal consistency and measurement invariance analyses indicated that the scale could give similar results. Family functioning correlated positively with family adaptability, communication, life satisfaction, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, while showing a negative correlation with neuroticism. Study-II revealed that family functioning and mental well-being are mediated by family belongingness and adaptability. These findings affirm that the General Functioning Scale of the Family Assessment Device is a robust and reliable instrument for assessing family functionality within this cultural context.