Development and validation of the Family Law DOORS

Psychol Assess. 2016 Nov;28(11):1516-1522. doi: 10.1037/pas0000277. Epub 2016 Jan 28.

Abstract

When former spouses experience distress and dispute following separation, risks to well-being and to safety are heightened for all family members. Reliable family-wide risk screening is essential. The Family Law DOORS (Detection of Overall Risk Screen) is a 3-part screening framework to assist identification, evaluation, and response to safety and well-being risks in separated families. Uniquely, the Family Law DOORS screens for victimization and perpetration risks and appraises infant and child developmental risk. The Family Law DOORS self-report screening tool is the subject of this report. Internal scale reliability and concurrent and external criterion validity for the Family Law DOORS were estimated with a community sample of 660 separated parents, including 181 mother-father pairs. Overall psychometric properties are strong and demonstrate good potential for the Family Law DOORS to support early risk detection for separating families. (PsycINFO Database Record

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bullying / physiology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Crime Victims / psychology
  • Divorce / psychology*
  • Domestic Violence / prevention & control
  • Domestic Violence / psychology*
  • Fathers / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Mothers / psychology
  • Psychological Tests*
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Risk Assessment
  • Self Report
  • Young Adult