Purpose: The article describes challenges related to the transfer of a family assessment instrument, the Assessment of Strategies in Families-Effectiveness (ASF-E), and its theoretical basis to another culture.
Design: Instrument development encompassed translation and discussion of theoretical and cultural relevance of the items. Patients from two clinics in Tampere, Finland (N = 196) completed the ASF. Psychometric tests involved factor and reliability analysis.
Results: The theoretical constructs of stability, growth, control and connectedness/spirituality were represented in the factor structure, and reliability ranged from .65 to .83.
Discussion: There were cultural differences in the interpretation of certain items. Characteristics of Finnish culture with impact on instrument validity were homogeneity and family emphasis on conflict resolution. Insights contributed to further instrument development and broader understanding of culture.