The original Brief Family Distress Scale (BFDS; Weiss & Lunsky, 2011) was developed as a measure of crisis experienced by caregivers of autistic individuals. Crisis is measured by a single-item, in which caregivers are asked to select one of ten statements reflecting varying degrees of crisis experienced at present by themselves and their families. The BFDS serves as a quick tool for indicating where families are in terms of distress and crisis. Translated versions of the BFDS can be downloaded below.
| Language | Download | Contributors/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| English1 | Download | Jonathan A. Weiss Department of Psychology, York University Yona Lunsky Dual Diagnosis Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health |
| Arabic2 | Download | Aiche Sabah Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef Senouci Boumediene Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Alger 2 University Djellouli Zineb Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University Oran 2 |
| Indonesian3 | Download | Amalia Rahmandani, Yohanis Franz La Kahija, Hastaning Sakti, Lusi Nur Ardhiani Faculty of Psychology, Diponegoro University |
| Macedonian4 | Download | Blake D. Hansen, Emma Lucy Orton, Chase Adams, Laura Knecht, Sophie Rindlisbaker Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, Brigham Young University Filip Jurtoski, Vladimir Trajkovski Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University |
| Turkish5 | Download | Bekir Faith Meral Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas |
References:
1Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2011). The brief family distress scale: A measure of crisis in caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 20, 521–528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-010-9419-y
2Sabah, A., Boumediene, S., & Zineb, D. (2021). Adverse life events and family distress during the coronavirus pandemic: A field study in Algeria. Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 32(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/-10.12816/0058764
3Rahmandani, A., La Kahija, Y. F., Sakti, H., & Ardhiani, L. N. (2020). Exploring perceived family distress and negative emotional states among Indonesian adolescents. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(1), 1407-1419. https://doi.org/10.37200/IJPR/V24I1/PR200239
4Hansen, B. D., Orton, E. L., Adams, C., Knecht, L., Rindlisbaker, S., Jurtoski, F., & Trajkovski, V. (2017). A pilot study of a behavioral parent training in the Republic of Macedonia. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(6), 1878-1889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3112-6
5Meral, B. F. (2022). Parental views of families of children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(4), 1712-1724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05070-0