Confirmatory factor analysis of the family APGAR questionnaire

Abstract

IntroductionIn Colombia, the family APGAR questionnaire is often used to evaluate family function. However, there is no confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to corroborate the proposed one-dimensional structure in Colombian adolescent students. ObjectiveTo perform CFA on the APGAR family questionnaire in high-school students of Santa Marta, Colombia. MethodA total of 1462 students of tenth and eleventh grade of official and private schools completed the family APGAR questionnaire. Students between 13 and 17 years old (M = 16.0, SD = 0.8) were included, of which 60.3% were female, and 55.3% were tenth grade students. The χ2, RMSEA, CFI, TLI and SMSR were estimated in the CFA. The internal consistency of the dimension was calculated with Cronbach alpha and McDonald omega coefficients. ResultsIn the CFA the indexes were χ2 = 9.11, df = 5, P = 0.105; RMSEA = 0.024 (CI90%, 0.000–0.048), CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.996, and SMSR = 0.009. Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.819 and McDonald omega, 0.820. ConclusionsThe one-dimensional structure of the APGAR family scale is confirmed in high-school students of Santa Marta, Colombia. This questionnaire is reliable and valid for the measurement of family function in school-aged adolescents.