5.Satisfaction

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Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS)David H. Olson, Ph.D.

I . Overview of Family Satisfaction

While there has been a great deal of research on marital satisfaction, a literature reviewfound no family satisfaction scale. So in the early 1980s, David Olson and Marc Wilson (1982;1989) created what we presumed to be the first family satisfaction scale. This scale was

developed to provide a reliable and valid instrument for use in family research and familytherapy.

A. Conceptual DefinitionFamily satisfaction is defined as the degree to which family members feel happy and

fulfilled with each other. The operational definition includes the three dimensions that are relatedto the Circumplex Modelcohesion, flexibility and communication. So items in the familysatisfaction scale assess the satisfaction in all three of these dimensions.

B. Theoretical FoundationAt the time of the development of the Family Satisfaction Scale there were no other

family satisfaction measures found in the literature. Based on the integrative nature, theoreticalsalience, and clinical relevance of the Circumplex Model, the Family Satisfaction Scale wasdesigned to assess overall family satisfaction including the two main dimensions of this model,cohesion and flexibility.

Hypotheses:

The basic hypothesis of the Circumplex Model is that balanced families will be moresatisfied with their system than unbalanced families.

(1) Families that have high scores on balanced cohesion and balanced flexibility will have higherlevels of family satisfaction. Conversely, families with high scores on the unbalanced scales willhave lower levels of family satisfaction. More specifically: Balanced families will havesignificantly higher family satisfaction than Unbalanced families.

(2) Family satisfaction will have a positive relationship to Family Communication. Morespecifically: Families high in family satisfaction will have significantly better familycommunication that families low in satisfaction.

P.O. Box 190z Minneapolis, MN z 55440-0190

800-331-1661 z 651-635-0511z FAX: 651-636-1668

www.facesiv.com


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I I . Review of Literature

The Family Satisfaction Scale has been used extensively in research, most frequently inconjunction with one of the FACES instruments. The scale was first used in a study of 1,000

families across the life cycle (Olson et al., 1983; 1989) and it is upon this data that the instrumentwas originally normed. Since its initial development, the instrument has been used in studiescovering a wide variety of family phenomena. The current version of the Family SatisfactionScale contains 10 items and is based on the original 14 item scale.

The FSS has been used to study a wide variety of family issues and a list of some of thepublished studies are listed in the references. Mathis (1992) found that husbands familysatisfaction during mediation was generally negative while the wives satisfaction declined onlyafter mediation. Family satisfaction was found useful in validating an assessment in Japanesefamilies (Kusada, 1995). Bonk (1984) found that family satisfaction increased during treatmentfor alcoholism and was significantly higher at post-treatment assessment. Cook (1991) alsofound that family satisfaction was higher after treatment for alcoholism. Caetano (1986) used

the FSS to study Mexican-American families and found that family satisfaction along withcultural involvement, flexibility and cohesion were the best predictors of family functioning.

The Family Satisfaction Scale has also been used in studies which have attempted to takeinto account the diversity of families in our society. Zacks and colleagues (1988) used the FSSto study lesbian couples and compare her findings with the normative data which is based onhomosexual couples. She found that satisfaction scores in the lesbian couples were highlycorrelated with levels of cohesion and flexibility and lesbian couples had significantly higherlevels of satisfaction than heterosexual couples.

I I I . Empirical Foundation of Family Satisfaction

A. Validity of ScaleThe 10 item family satisfaction scale is based on a 14 item scale developed by Olson and

Wilson (1982). Both the original 14 item scale and the revised 10 item scale were designed toassess satisfaction with various aspects of family functioning including family closeness,flexibility and communication.

There has been reported in the literature a large overlap between the concepts of maritalsatisfaction and overall life satisfaction. The national study of over 1,000 families by Olson andcolleagues (1989) found similar findings with respect to family satisfaction (see table 1)


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Table 1: Intercorrelations of Satisfaction Variables

Marital

Satisfaction(L-W)

Marital

Satisfaction(ENRICH)

Family

Satisfaction

Quality of

Life

MaritalSatifaction(Locke-Wallace)

.48 .73 .66 .50

MaritalSatisfaction(ENRICH)

.81 .45 .64 .51IndividualData

FamilySatisfaction

.70 .71 .35 .61

Quality ofLife

.52 .55 .67 .35

CoupleMeans

Husband-WifeCorrelations

As can be seen in Table 1, marital satisfaction accounts for half of the variation in family

satisfaction (r=.70, r-squared=.49), and family satisfaction accounts for nearly half of thevariance in quality of life (r=.67, r-squared=.45). The lower correlations between husband andwife scores indicate that it is indeed individual realities which are being measured rather than afamily reality.

Satisfaction across the life cycle as examined by the national study is displayed in Figure1 showing that satisfaction is not a static variable but one which changes with changes in thefamily life cycle. Findings were similar for two measures of marital satisfaction and a measureof quality of life.


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Figure 1: Family Satisfaction Across the Life Cycle

1 2 3 4 5 6 744

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

Wives Husbands Adolescent Female Adolescent Male

Family satisfaction seems to follow the same shallow U curve across the family life cycleas has been found with marital satisfaction in previous studies (Olson, et.al. 1989).Familysatisfaction starts our higher for wives than husbands as has been found with marital satisfaction.

Satisfaction then dips for both husbands and wives reaching its lowest point as adolescents reachthe launching stage and then rises. T-tests revealed significant differences in satisfaction levelswith satisfaction being higher at earlier couple stages (stages 1 and 2) than at childrearing andlaunching stages (stages 4 and 5) for both husbands and wives.

It is interesting to note that adolescents reports of family satisfaction are very similar totheir parents when group mean scores are used. However correlation among fathers, mothersand adolescents scores are low (r=.32) and the difference in male and female adolescent scoresare significant.

B. Reliability of the ScaleBased on a sample of 2,465 family members, the 10 item family satisfaction scale has an

alpha reliability of .92 and test re-test of .85.

C. Mean & Standard DeviationBased on a sample of 2,465 family members, the mean score for the scale is 37.5 and

standard deviation is 8.5.


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D. Scoring of the Family Satisfaction Scale1. Add all items of the Family Satisfaction scale.2. The sum of these items is the total score.3. The range of scores is from 10-50.

Family Satisfaction: Interpretation of Scores

Percentage andLevels

Family Satisfaction Family SatisfactionRaw Percent

VeryHigh

86-99%

Family members are very satisfiedand really enjoy most aspects oftheir family.

50 99

49 98

48 97

47 94

46 92

45 87

High

61-85%

Family members are satisfied with

most aspects of their family.

44 84

43 7942 75

41 71

40 66

Moderate

36-60%

Family members are somewhatsatisfied and enjoy some aspectsof their family.

39 58

38 51

37 45

36 40

Low

21-35%

Family members are somewhatdissatisfied and have someconcerns about their family.

35 35

34 30

33 28

32 2531 23

30 21

Very Low

10-20%

Family members are verydissatisfied and are concernedabout their family.

29 18

28 15

27 13

26 12

10-25 10


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Family Satisfaction ScaleDavid H. Olson

1 2 3 4 5

Very

Dissatisfied

Somewhat

Dissatisfied

Generally

Satisfied

Very

Satisfied

Extremely

Satisfied

How satisfied are you with:

1. The degree of closeness between family members.2. Your familys ability to cope with stress.3. Your familys ability to be flexible.4. Your familys ability to share positive experiences.5. The quality of communication between family members.6. Your familys ability to resolve conflicts.7. The amount of time you spend together as a family.8. The way problems are discussed.9. The fairness of criticism in your family.10. Family members concern for each other..


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References and Published Articles on the

Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS)

Amerikaner, M., Monks, G., Wolfe, P., & Thomas, S. (1994). Family interaction andindividual psychological health. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72, 614-620.

Barnes, H. L. (1988). Cross-generational coalitions, discrepant perceptions and familyfunctioning. Journal of Psychotherapy and the Family, 4, 175-198.

Basolo-Kunzer, M., Diamond, S., Maliszewski, M., Weyermann, L., & et.al. (1991).Chronic headache patients marital and family adjustment. Issues in Mental HealthNursing, 12, 133-148.

Berry, R. E., & Williams, F. L. (1987). Assessing the relationship between Quality ofLife & Marital & Income Satisfaction: A path analytic approach. Journal ofMarriage and the Family, 49,107-116.

Bulow, B. V., Sweeney, J. A., Shear, K., & et. al. (1987). Family satisfaction withpsychiatric evaluations. Health & Social Work, 12, 290-295.

Canfield, K. R., Schumm, W. R., Swihart, J. J ., & et. al. (1990). Factoral validity ofbrief satisfaction scales in surveys of Mormon, Roman Catholic & Protestant fathers.Psychological Reports, 67, 1319-1322.

Carver, M. D., & Jones, W. H. (1992). The Family Satisfaction Scale. Social Behaviorand Personality, 20, 71-83.

Chung, M. J., & Chung, H. S. (1994). Coping strategies of adolescents: Predictorvariables. Korean Journal of Child Studies, 15, 3-19.

Daley, J. G., Sowers, H. K., & Thyer, B. A. (1990). Are FACES II FamilySatisfaction scores valid? Journal of Family Therapy, 12, 77-81.

Feldman, R. B., Zelkowitz, P., Weiss, M., Vogel, J, & et.al. (1995). A comparison of thefamilies of mothers with borderline and nonborderline personality disorders.Comprehensive Psychiatry, 36, 157-163.

Fowers, B. J ., & Olson, D. H. (1993). ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale: A briefresearch and clinical tool. Journal of Family Psychology, 7, 176-185.

Green, K. Fine, M. J., & Tollefson, N. (1988). Family systems characteristics andunderachieving gifted adolescent males. Gifted Child Quarterly, 32, 267-272.

Harter, S., Neimeyer, R. A., & Alexander, P. C. (1989). Personal construction of familyrelationships: The relation of commonality and sociality to family satisfaction forparents and adolescents. International Journal of Personal Construct Psychology, 2,123-142.

Henry, C. A. (1994). Family system characteristics, parental behaviors & adolescentfamily life satisfaction. Family Relations, 43, 447-455.

Henry, C. S., & Plunkett, S. W. (1995). Validation of the adolescent family lifesatisfaction index: An update. Psychological Reports, 76, 672-674.

Heras, P., & Revilla, L. A. (1994). Acculturation, generational status, and familyenvironment of Filipino Americans: A study in cultural adaptation. Family Therapy,21, 129-138.


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Jeong, J. G., & Schumm, W. R. (1990). Family satisfaction in Korean-Americanmarriages: An exploratory study of the perception of Korean wives. Journal ofComparative Family Studies, 21, 325-336.

Kazak, A. E. (1989). Family functioning in families with older institutionalized retardedoffspring. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19, 501-509.

Kennedy, G. E. (1989). Differences among college students perceptions of familysatisfaction. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 68, 129-130.Kurokawa, J. (1990). An attempt to standardize three scales (Japanese versions) which

are based on the Olson Circumplex Model Family Satisfaction, Parent-Adolescent Communication and FACES III. Japanese Journal of Family Psychology,71-82.

Leonard, B. J ., Scott, S. A., & Sootsman, J. (1989). A home-monitoring program forparents of premature infants: A comparative study of the psychological effects.Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 10, 92-97.

Leon, G. R., Fulkerson, J . A., Perry, C. L., & Dube, A. (1994). Family influences,school behaviors, and risk for the later development of an eating disorder. Journal of

Youth and Adolescence, 23, 499-515.Mathis, R. D., & Tanner, Z. (1991). Cohesion, adaptability and satisfaction of family

systems in later life. Family Therapy, 18, 47-60.Mathis, R. D., & Yingling, L.C. (1992). Analysis of pre and posttest gender differences

in family satisfaction of divorce mediation couples. Journal of Divorce andRemarriage, 17, 75-85.

Mathis, R. D., & Yingling, L.C. (1991). Discriminant function analysis of FACES IIIand Family Satisfaction questionnaires to predict outcome in divorce mediation.American Journal of Family Therapy, 19, 367-377.

McLinden, S. E. (1990). Mothers and fathers reports of the effects of a young childwith special needs on the family. Special Issue: Families. Journal of Early

Intervention, 14, 249-259.Mensink, D. L., & Sawatzky, D. D. (1989). The impact of family form on perceptions of

childrens functioning. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 35, 237-254.Okamoto, K. (1990). On existential tendency for life and family satisfaction in modern

college students. Japanese Journal of Family Psychology, 4, 83-95.Olson, D.H. & Wilson, M. (1982, 1989) Family Satisfaction. In Olson, D.H. and

colleagues. Families: What Makes Them Work. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publishing.Orthner, D. K., & Mancini, J . A. (1990). Leisure impacts on family interaction and

cohesion. Journal of Leisure Research, 22, 125-137.Scabini, E., & Galimberti, C. (1994). Adolescents and young adults: A familial

transition (Adolescenti e giovani adulti: Una transizione familiare). Ricerche di

Psicologia, 18, 61-79.Scheer, S. D., & Unger, D. G. (1995). Parents perceptions of their adolescence:

Implications for parent-youth conflict and family satisfaction. Psychological Reports,76, 131-136.

Scott, W. A., & Scott, R. (1991). Adaptation of immigrant and native Australians.Australian Psychologist, 26, 43-48.

Seeblach, W. C., & Die, A. H. (1988). Family satisfactions and filial norms amongelderly Vietnamese immigrants. Journal of Aging Studies, 2, 267-276.


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Stolk, Y ., & Perlesz, A. J. (1990). Do better trainees make worse family therapists? Afollow-up study of client families. Family Process, 29, 45-58.

Weigel, D. J ., & Weigel, R. R. (1990). Family satisfaction in two-generation farmfamilies: The role of stress and resources. Family Relations, 39, 449-455.

Weigel, D. J ., & Weigel. R. R. (1990). Congruency of preferences for family-based

gender roles & family satisfaction in two-generation farm families. Sex Roles, 22,649-659.Weigel, R. R., Weigel, D. J., & Bludall, J. (1987). Stress, coping, and satisfaction:

Generational differences in farm families. Family Relations Journal of AppliedFamily and Child Studies, 36, 45-48.

Zacks, E., Green, R. J ., Marrow, J. (1988). Comparing lesbian and heterosexual coupleson the Circumplex Model: An initial investigation. Family Process, 27, 471-484.

Zarski, J. J., DePompei, R., & Zook, A. (1988). Traumatic head injury: Dimensions offamily responsivity. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 3, 31-41.

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