Mensuração de eficácia coletiva: estado da arte e uma medida para famílias com adolescentes

Abstract

Aiming to contribute to expanding the knowledge about family collective efficacy (FCE), which refers to family members’ shared beliefs about their capacity to perform what is needed to achieve family goals collectively, three studies are presented. The first consisted of a systematic review on the measurement of collective efficacy (CE). The PRISMA method was used, which led to the analysis of 49 empirical articles indexed on PsycNET or Web of Science. Results showed psychometric problems in CE assessment that limit the advancement of knowledge about the construct. For example, there are inconsistencies between CE measures and theoretical propositions about the construct in about 40% of the articles. Thus, the construction of new measures must respect the guidelines proposed by the Social Cognitive Theory and the area of psychological assessment. The second study evaluated the validity based on the internal structure and the reliability of an instrument to measure FCE in Brazil. Furthermore, a reduced version of this measure was proposed and evaluated. The Escala de Eficácia Coletiva Familiar para Famílias com Adolescentes (EECF-Ado) was applied to 468 Brazilian adolescents between 13 and 19 years old (M = 17.97; SD = 1.187). Both the complete and the reduced versions presented a unidimensional structure consistent with the literature, with excellent reliability estimates and a good fit of the data to the model. The scores of the two versions correlated positively and strongly with each other. The variation in the reduced version score of the scale explains 99% of the variability in the complete scale score. It was concluded that the two EECF-Ado versions are equivalent and suitable for use, although further studies are recommended to confirm the conclusions obtained. Once favorable results for the instrument usage were obtained, the third study investigated the association between perceived FCE and individual and family variables of the same adolescents. Bivariate correlation, Welch’s t-test, and ANOVA were used to analyze which individual and family variables are associated with FCE. Multiple linear regression was used to identify possible predictors of FCE. Part of the variables associated with FCE and six were predictors of the construct: doing leisure activities together, cohesion about religion, a psychiatric disorder in the family, adolescent’s age, watching television together, and mother’s educational level. Notwithstanding the study’s limitations, these results indicate relevant aspects to be considered in planning and implementing programs to foster and maintain FCE in families with adolescents. Even though there is still a long way to develop the field of studies on FCE, these three studies have contributed to clarifying essential aspects related to the construct and laid the groundwork for implementing other more profound and coherent Social Cognitive Theory-based studies.