ABSTRACT
The Revised Family Communication Patterns Instrument (RFCP), developed by Ritchie and Fitzpatrick (1990), is a modified and reconceptualized version of McLeod and Chaffee’s (1972) Family Communication Patterns Measure (FCP). In contrast to the original measure, the revised instrument assesses family communication behaviors and patterns rather than children’s information processing and decision making. Although the authors believe that family patterns are primarily determined by parents, they do note that children can indeed inspire changes in parental communication as well. Consistent with this premise, the RFCP includes a separate version of the instrument for both parents and children. Unlike many family patterns instruments, the intent of the RFCP is not to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy families but rather to describe the many ways families can and do function.
