EDITORIAL: TOOLS FOR ASSESSING FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Marialuisa Gennari^1*Stephen Edward Finn²Alessandra Santona³Giancarlo Tamanza¹

• ¹Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milano, Italy
• ²Center for Therapeutic Assessment, Austin, Texas, United States
• ³University of Milan, Bicocca, Milan, Italy

Family relationships are one of the most interesting and significant areas of study in clinical psychology. The family, as the first and most important context for human development, is composed of affective and interactive dynamics that profoundly shape individuals, influencing their socio-emotional well-being, mental health, and relationship skills. These influences persist across the entire lifespan.The inherent complexity of family relationships emerges from the recognition that each family system is a dynamic entity, composed of unique individuals with distinct perceptions, needs, and personal stories. Their reciprocal interactions give rise to a relational framework that is systemic and constantly evolving. Therefore, understanding family dynamics is a highly complex undertaking that requires a rigorous and diversified methodological approach. A multidimensional perspective is indispensable, highlighting the internal representations and lived experiences of different family members, as well as the quality of the family relationships and interactions, through a variety of investigative instruments and constructs.Our main goal in curating this topic was to present some of the most recent tools for studying the multifaceted nature of family functioning from a relational perspective. A secondary objective was to elicit contributions from researchers around the world. Indeed, understanding family relationships cannot be disentangled from the cultural context in which they develop.Caregiving practices, social expectations, and the meanings attributed to affective bonds vary significantly across cultures, making it essential to adapt and validate assessment instruments within specific contexts. (See contributions by Rinaldi et al., 2023;Aschieri et al., 2024;Velotti et al., 2023;Shek et al., 2023.) Another important element we held in mind was that multiple perspectives must be considered within a family system. To navigate this complexity, research on family relationships has traditionally used both quantitative and qualitative approaches and frequently incorporates mixed-method designs that combine these ways of understanding family systems. This methodological integration allows for the exploration of family dynamics from complementary angles, leading to a deeper and more nuanced picture of how families work.Among the widely used quantitative methodologies, self-report questionnaires stand out. 2023) is a performance-based test that is administered individually; it has proven to be an efficient, rigorously validated tool for assessing internal representations of attachment. The AAP is valuable for therapists who seek to understand dysfunctional family processes and formulate therapeutic goals.Along with self-report instruments and qualitative interviews, observational methods play a crucial role in studying family interactions. These approaches allow for the direct analysis of behavioral and relational dynamics in real time, offering insights into communication patterns, interactive sequences, and the quality of exchanges among family members. Direct observation, supported by structured coding systems, overcomes the limitations of subjective reports by capturing relational dynamics that might not be consciously reported by family members. In this regard, the Triadic Interactional Analytical Procedure (TIAP), described by Cigala et al. (2024), exemplifies an observational methodology that examines micro-interactions among family members in different configurations, revealing fundamental aspects of family functioning. This tool assesses a family system's ability to cope with developmental tasks, communicate effectively, establish clear and flexible rules, and provide support to its members. Similarly, the Marschak Interaction Method of Psychometrics (MIM-P) and the Assessment of Parent-Child Interaction (APCI), whose psychometric properties were studied by Jacobsen et al. (2024), are observational tools designed to evaluate caregiver-child relationships through structured tasks and the analysis of nonverbal and affective interactions.Interactive graphic tools provide an additional view of family relationships, by facilitating the expression of complex and unconscious relational dynamics, especially in contexts where verbal communication may be limited or challenging. An example is the Family Life Space (FLS), described by Gennari et al. (2024). This task actively engages all family members in the joint creation of a drawing representing their family system. The analysis of the drawing, together with the observation of interactions during the creative process, provides valuable insights into relational quality, power dynamics, feelings of belonging, and potential areas of conflict or emotional distance within the family.In closing, we believe that the diverse articles assembled for this topic demonstrate that the intricate and fascinating mosaic of family relationships can only be fully understood through a multimethod, multidimensional perspective that combines both individual and systemic elements. Such an approach illuminates both the richness and complexity of family systems and is helpful to researchers and clinicians alike.