Psychometric evaluation of the family APGAR Scale in a Polish population: Reliability, validity, and factor structure

The main objective of the study was to adapt the Family APGAR by Smilkstein to the Polish reality and check its reliability and validity for the purpose of the diagnostic properties of this tool and scientific research. FAPGAR is a self-descriptive, paper-pencil type questionnaire. It consists of five statements concerning the functioning of the family in five domains: Adaptability, Partnership, Growth, Affection and Resolve. 312 adults (156 women and 156 men) in married couples from one year to 35 years of married life were studied. The studies also used the Spanier’s Dyadic Adjustment Scale (abbr. DAS) and the Family Rating Scale (abbr. SOR) based on Flexibility and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (abbr. FACES-IV) by Olson. The validity and reliability of the scale were analysed by appropriate statistical methods. The results obtained with its assistance are significantly correlated with the results of measuring the functioning of the family by other methods. It can be concluded that FAPGAR has obtained satisfactory indicators of reliability and relevance. The results showed that FAPGAR can be used in the Polish market for both scientific research and clinical work. It may be particularly useful for physicians and health care professionals for screening and initial diagnosis of the functioning of patients.