The development and validation of the family coping expectations scale: socialized responses to adverse life experiences and their associations with personal and relational wellness

ABSTRACT

Drawing upon schema theory and family communication patterns theory, this study developed and validated a new measure of family coping expectations. Participants included 505 adult children who reported on their family’s expectations for how to communicate and cope with stress and adversity. Results produced a 27-item measure that assessed adults’ perceptions of their family’s coping expectations across four dimensions: rely on family support, avoid outside help, pretend you’re OK, and follow our lead. Tests of convergent and discriminant validity supported the construct validity of the FCE scale and revealed meaningful associations with family communication patterns, mental health, and family satisfaction.

KEYWORDS:

• Family coping
• resilience
• conversation orientation
• conformity orientation
• mental health
• self-esteem
• family satisfaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Payton O. Weinzapfel

Payton O. Weinzapfel (M.S., Texas Christian University, 2021) is a seminary student at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Paul Schrodt

Paul Schrodt (Ph.D., University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 2003) is the Philip J. and Cheryl C. Burguières Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University.