Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Abstract

The Child and Adolescent Family Functioning Inventory (CAFFI):Development and Psychometric Properties

Paul A. Sunseri*

Substantial empirical support exists demonstrating the efficacy of family therapy in the treatment of serious child and adolescent mental illness. Family dynamics play an important role in a child’s mental health condition and research has shown that as family functioning improves with treatment, the severity of a child’s symptoms decreases. Therefore, the ability to quickly and efficiently assess key areas of family functioning is essential in clinical practice. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Family Functioning Inventory (CAFFI), a brief, no cost, publicly available clinical assessment instrument. The CAFFI can be used to both quickly identify key family dynamics at the start of treatment that require immediate clinical attention, as well as an outcome measure to track and demonstrate the family’s clinical progress over time.

Published Date: 2022-02-03; Received Date: 2022-01-07