FACES-III AND THE KVEBAEK FAMILY SCULPTURE TECHNIQUE AS MEASURES OF COHESION AND CLOSENESS

In a longitudinal study of psychosocial factors in children with recen t onset of rheumatic disease (N = 72), it was hypothesized that FACES III cohesion sum scores would be correlated with family closeness as m easured by the Kvebaek Family Sculpture Technique (KFST). A second aim was to examine how these instruments were associated with semi-struct ured interview-assessments of child and family psychosocial function, and whether these associations were linear or curvilinear. FACES III c ohesion sum scores and KFST family mean interpersonal distance were no t correlated, whereas the cohesion sum scores were related to the moth er-father distance on the KFST. Where associations with child and fami ly psychosocial function were found, they were linear. The results sup port the usefulness of a distinction between cohesion as a family or g roup characteristic and dyadic closeness, especially between the paren t figures. The need for further conceptual clarification and more thor ough empirical validation procedures in this area is emphasized.