The McMaster Model of Family Functioning

Paper Summary:

This paper evaluates the McMaster model in terms of its ability to accurately describe family functioning and its ability to distinguish functional and dysfunctional families. It also presents the McMaster model as the most comprehensive model of family health.

From the Paper:

"The McMaster model has so far provided us with a comprehensive way of assessing family functioning, but it does have it's own limitations. It has been argued that the McMaster model doesn't adequately reflect family developmental stages. Epstein, Bishop, Ryan, Miller, and Keitner (1993) found that families at different development stages also differ in terms of their difficulties. Families that had adolescents were found to have more problem solving difficulties, and were also found to have more areas of difficulty in the McMaster dimensions. In light of this the McMaster model may be seen as ineffective in assessing changing patterns of difficulties within families. Although, the emphasis the McMaster model puts on observable behaviour also means that family assessments are more likely to be reliable and accurate portrait of family functioning, as the clinician does not have to make inferences about family behaviour."

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