Reliability and sensitivity to change of the Family Life Questionnaire in a clinical population

Background: The Family Life Questionnaire (FLQ) is a new measure of family functioning, which acknowledges that the experience of the family unit may vary between different children. This study examined the reliability and sensitivity to change of the FLQ in a clinical population. Method: The FLQ was administered to 91 parents attending the first session of the Incredible Years parenting programmes in Devon during 2009, 71 of them completed it on a second occasion a week later and 55 on a third occasion at the end of the programme. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability and sensitivity to change were calculated. Results: Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the scales varied between moderate and very good, except for the discipline and special allowances items which had poor internal consistency when grouped as a scale. The measures showed promising evidence of sensitivity to change. Conclusions: The FLQ is a reliable measure of family function that seems sensitive to change. There is some evidence of validity but a lack of suitable comparators limited this part of the study. The study sample was too small to explore the scale structure.