Validation of Modified Family and Interparental Conflict Scales for Use with Young Adults from Divorced and Non-Divorced Families.

This study investigates the reliability and validity of two modified family conflict scales, one assessing interparental conflict and the other overall family conflict. Each scale was revised in order to ease administration, improve response accuracy, and provide uniform instructions for participants from divorced and non-divorced families. The Children's Perceptions of Interparental Conflict Scale (Grych, Seid, & Fincham, 1992) was reduced from 49 to 13 items to include only those items assessing conflict intensity and frequency. For the Conflict Subscale of the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1994), a family member checklist was added. In addition to adding uniform instructions for individuals from divorced and non-divorced families, a 6-point response format was added to both scales. Participants (N = 375) completed the revised and original scales as well as validation measures. Findings support the reliability and validity of the revised scales in assessing young adults preceptions of interparental and overall family conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]