The Family Life Impairment Scale: Factor Structure and Clinical Utility with Young Children

Although it is well-established that young children experience significant psychopathology, diagnostic decisions continue to be challenging, in part due to the way impairment is understood, defined, and measured. Most existing clinical tools assess impairment in an individualized manner, whereas for many young children, impairment is more accurately conceptualized as a family-oriented, multidimensional construct, impacting various parental and family activities. Two studies were completed using the Family Life Impairment Scale (FLIS), a multidimensional parent-report measure of family and associated impairment designed for young children. In Study 1, factor analysis was used in a large (n = 945) representative sample (23–48 months of age). FLIS associations with measures of parent and child well-being were explored to investigate convergent validity. Study 2 was completed in a sample (n = 174) of young children (18–33 months of age) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders to explore factorial consistency...