Aim
The Family Needs Assessment scale (FNA) is an international project shared by different countries and lead by Dr. A. Turnbull, Kansas University (USA). The aim of our study is to present the results of the normalization and standardization process of the FNA carried out with families with a member with intellectual disabilities (ID) up to 18 years old in Catalonia. The goals of the scale are: (a) to assess the family support needs of families with a member with ID, (b) to know the most relevant needs of the families and (c) to identify the supports that would match their family needs.
Methods
In order to obtain a valid and reliable scale that identifies the Catalan families’ support needs, the process followed has been: (a) to develop jointly with the other countries involved in the project the scale and the item pool and to adapt the scale to Spanish and Catalan languages; (b) the expert assessment; (c) the pilot study; and (d) the normalization and standardization procedure. Furthermore the impact of family needs in the family quality of life perceptions has been analyzed.
Results
The social-demographic data, the psychometric properties of the scale, the perception of Catalan families about their support needs and the relationship between families’ support needs and the family quality of life will be presented.
Conclusion
Implications of the scale use and the next steps of the study will be discussed.