TAXONOMY OF FAMILY-LIFE STYLES .1. HOMES WITH TMR CHILDREN

Abstract

A battery of instruments dealing with family social environment and family and child characteristics and behavior was administered to 115 families with children in TMR [trainable mentally retarded] classes. Cluster analysis was performed on the social environment variables. Five distinctive clusters of families, each with distinctive patterns of characteristics, were identified: cohesive, harmonious; control-oriented, somewhat unharmonious; low-disclosure, unharmonious; child-oriented, expressive; and disadvantaged, low morale. Comparisons among the clusters and ethnographic observations revealed significant differences in family characteristics and child adjustment at home and school.