APA

Method

Participants

Assessment data from 213 adult caregivers who completed the FAM-III before and after their participation in {the parenting class} were used in this investigation.  At the time of the assessment, the participants ranged in age from 19 to 69 years (M = 38.92, SD = 10.38).  67% of the participants were female.  For purposes of this study, the caregiver’s role in the family was classified using the categories presented on the FAM-III. The majority of the participants (60%) were {2}.  28% were {1}, 7% were {4}, 3% were {3} and 2% were {5}.  Participants who did not complete the class (n=??) were excluded from this study.  20 participants who did not complete both pre and post assessments were also excluded. 

Measures

The FAM-III is a self-report measure that assesses the strengths and weaknesses within a family. It can be completed by pre-adolescents, adolescents, and adult family members (ages 10 years to adult). The Brief FAM-III version used in this study provides an overview of family functioning in 5-10 minutes. The Brief FAM QuikScore® Forms are self-contained, allowing for administration, scoring, and comparison to norms.

Procedure

Participants completed the FAM-III before the start of their first class and after completion of their final parenting class.  The assessment required approximately {10} minutes to complete.  Participants were informed that the measure was intended to assess the effect of the training curriculum, and the results of the assessment were not shared with the participants.  In order to protect the caregiver’s privacy and enhance the validity of their responses, the assessments were coded to allow the caregivers to remain anonymous while ensuring their pre and post assessments could be matched for the purposes of this study.  The parenting class was delivered by 4 different facilitators to 24 classes ranging in size from 3 to 19 participants. 

Statistical Analyses

Since the classes were delivered by 4 different facilitators and the participants held various caregiver roles, the variance contributed by these factors was considered in the analysis.  Pre vs. post test score differences of participants, and between- groups differences (facilitator, gender, and caregiver role) were calculated using a four-factor repeated measures ANOVA.

Results

As a group, post-test scores of participants (M = 54.9. SD = 13.21) were found to be lower than their pre-test scores (M = 49.2, SD = 11.58).  This difference was significant (F (1, 195) = 10.42, p = .001).  The effects of participant gender, caregiver role, and facilitator were all found to be not significant.