Therapists Ratings of Fundamentalist and Nonfundamentalist Families in Therapy: An Empirical Comparison

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Abstract
Using the Family Health Scale, Part I of an instrument developed for this study, two randomly selected groups of certified family therapists rated either nonfundamentalist or fundamentalist families in therapy on eight recognized indicators of family health. Factor analysis yielded eight factors accounting for 66% of the variance between groups. Cannonical discriminant function analysis revealed that therapists rated fundamentalist families as significantly less healthy on three of the eight factors and more healthy on one factor. Part II of this instrument, the Religion Impact Scale assessed the effects of church community and church teachings upon families. For fundamentalists, the church and concomitant belief system had a significant impact upon family organization and functioning. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

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