The construct and concurrent validity of the Systemic Family Assessment (SFA) system was tested. Participants were 11 asthmatic and 14 healthy Brazilian children (aged 5 to 9) along with their intact families. Measures included the SFA, the Family Colored Drawing Test with children (FCDT), and a semi-structured interview with parents (PI). Comparisons between families of asthmatic and healthy children yielded significant differences for all family dimensions of the SFA. The most affected dimensions for families of asthmatic children were the individuation process within the family, family conflicts, family integration and cohesion, roles, and quality of leadership within the family. Significative correlation between the SFA and the two independent measures were found. Results support the construct and concurrent validity of the SFA.
Family test; pediatric asthma; systemic assessment
