Explanation of relationship and version codes

California Inventory for Family Assessment (CIFA)

by Paul D. Werner, Ph.D. and Robert-Jay Green, Ph.D.

Data Entry Instructions for Computer Scoring

(182 item -- 4 point response format)

CIFA relationship and version codes

SPSS data file entry

A reminder about CIFA relationship codes

CIFA relationship letter codes consist of 3 letters. They indicate the family role of the respondent (1st letter of the code), whether "given" or "received" questions were asked (2nd letter of the code), and the family role of the "target" of the CIFA--the other member of the relationship being described (3rd letter of the code). We use various standard letters to represent these relationships and administration circumstances. For example, WGH means "Wife gives to Husband;" the wife was asked to describe how she acts toward her husband). The SPSS variables F1, F2 and F3 numerically represent the relationship that was the focus of assessment.

Please note the following: What is coded in variables F1, F2 and F3 is the code for the relationship being described by the CIFA, rather than the question booklet used.

Numerical coding of relationship codes

For the purpose of the data file, these relationship codes need to be converted to numbers. The numbers will be entered in variables F1 to F3 for a given set of 182 CIFA answers.

The codes for variables F1 to F3

The same rules apply for converting letter codes to number codes for variables F1 to F3. F1 will refer to the first part of the CIFA relationship code (that is, the part of the code indicating the family role of the respondent). F3 will refer to the "target" of response, as indicated in the third part of the CIFA relationship code.

Please note: If a code corresponding to the relationship you are studying with the CIFA is not on the following list, please contact Dr. Werner before entering your data.

Codes that have been assigned thus far are as follows:

Code Family role

01 = Wife

02 = Husband

11 = Mother

12 = Father

21 = Daughter

22 = Son

51 = Female partner of unmarried heterosexual couple

52 = Male partner of unmarried heterosexual couple

61 = One female partner of lesbian couple

62 = The other female partner of lesbian couple

66 = One male partner of gay couple

67 = The other male partner of gay couple

The code for variable F2

The variable F2 indicates whether given or received questions were answered, and also whether "current relationship," "description of relationship in the past," or "ideal relationship" instructions were given. The codes are as follows:

Code and meaning

1 = Gives -- current relationship

2 = Receives -- current relationship

3 = Gives ideally -- view of ideal given relationship behavior -- current relationship

4 = Receives ideally -- view of ideal received relationship behavior -- current rel.

5 = Given in past -- how the respondent acted toward the target in the past

6 = Received in past -- how the target acted toward the respondent in the past

7 = Ideal given-past -- how given behavior in the past ideally would have been

8 = Ideal received-past -- how behavior received in the past ideally would have been

Examples of data entry

e.g., Project 001, two female respondents, wife gives to husband current relationship), 182 item CIFA. The first respondent (family 001) is a 28 year old Latina with 16 years of education. The second respondent (family 002) is a 26 year old White woman with 13 years of education.

Data on the identification variables would be entered as follows:

Respondent 1:

Project = 001

Family = 001

F1 = 01

F2 = 1

F3 = 02

Age1 = 28

Educ1 = 16

Sex1 = F

Ethnic= 3

Respondent 2:

Project = 001

Family = 002

F1 = 01

F2 = 1

F3 = 02

Age1 = 26

Educ1 = 13

Sex1 = F

Ethnic= 5

Here are some other sample form codes:

F1 = 01, F2 = 6, F3 = 02 would be entered for the Wife's report of husband's behavior in the past

F1 = 01, F2 = 8, F3 = 02 would be entered for the Wife's report of how husband's past behavior would have been ideally

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