Testimonial by Chin Wen Cong

My Ph.D. research focuses on the development and validation of the Adolescent Family Functioning Scale (AFFS). Family functioning has been related to various adolescent psychological outcomes. To better understand family functioning in Malaysian adolescents, a reliable and valid measurement of family functioning is needed. Therefore, my study aimed to develop and validate an indigenous instrument, the AFFS, to measure Malaysian adolescents’ perceptions of family functioning. 

Study 1 explored Malaysian adolescents’ perceptions of family functioning. Malaysian adolescents were recruited to join the in-depth semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis revealed five dimensions of adolescent family functioning: (1) family culture, (2) family cohesiveness, (3) family relationship, (4) family affection, and (5) family pride. Based on the dimensions, an item pool consisting of 107 items was generated. To establish the content validity, a panel of five experts rated the essentiality of each item in reflecting adolescents’ family functioning, resulting in a 50-item preliminary version of the AFFS. 

In Study 2, exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors: Family Relationship, Family Cohesiveness, and Family Pride. Each factor’s top five items with the highest factor loadings were selected, resulting in a three-factor 15-item AFFS. Study 3 then examined and compared the hypothesized three-factor model, one-factor model, and three-factor second-order model through confirmatory factor analysis on the selected 15 items. Among these models, the three-factor model demonstrated the best fit to the data and hence it is preferred. Besides showing satisfactory internal consistency, the convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity of the scale have also been established. Taken together, the 15-item AFFS appears to be an appropriate and useful family functioning instrument for adolescents in the context of Malaysia. Local mental health professionals and researchers are recommended to utilize the AFFS as a tool to assess the adolescent’s family functioning.

By undergoing the Doctor of Philosophy (Social Science) Programme at UTAR, I have learned a lot from my esteemed Main Supervisor, Associate Professor Dr Tan Chee Seng. His immense knowledge and plentiful experience in psychological research have supported me at every stage of the research project. Besides that, my Co-Supervisors, Assistant Professor Dr. Joanna Tan Tjin Ai, Dr. Noew Hooi San, and Dr. Zainab Chaudhry have enhanced my knowledge and experience in qualitative study. Through this programme, I have learned to independently conceptualize a psychological study, complete a Ph.D. thesis, and produce an original review paper that is worthy of publication and acceptable by a refereed journal (e.g., https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807221132809).