Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Family Expressiveness Questionnaire (FEQ-GR)

Background: This study aimed to develop a German version of the Family Expressiveness Questionnaire (FEQ; Halberstadt, 1983 , 1986 ), which investigates emotional expressiveness within the family context while growing up. While a theoretically derived four-factor structure was postulated, 2- and 3-scale versions have been applied in research. Methods: In Study 1 ( N = 650), these existing models were tested against each other. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for the solution that best fitted the data with half of the sample, and results were cross-validated in the other half. Construct validation was investigated in Study 2 ( N = 225). Results: An acceptable model fit for a three-factor solution was attained in Study 1. In Study 2, correlation patterns indicated a good convergent and discriminant validity. Reliability estimates in both studies were in an acceptable to excellent range. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the FEQ German version is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing expressiveness within the family.

Factors Facilitating Early Emotion Understanding Development: Contributions to Individual Differences

Children’s emotion understanding is crucial for healthy social and academic development. The behaviors influenced by emotion understanding in childhood have received much attention, but less focus has been placed on factors that may predict individual differences in emotion understanding, the principal issue addressed in the current review. A more thorough understanding of the developmental underpinnings of this skill may allow for better prediction of emotion understanding, and for interventions to improve emotion understanding early in development. Here, we present theoretical arguments for the substantial roles of three aspects of children’s environments in the development of emotion understanding: family expressiveness, discussions about emotions, and language development, and we discuss how these are interrelated. Ultimately, this may aid in predicting the effects of environmental influences on the development of emotion understanding more broadly and the mechanisms by which they do so.