Blended Family Child Adaptation and Well-Being Scale (BF-Child-AWBS-24)

A free, 24-question self-reflection for children, teens and adults who live in a blended family. It takes about five minutes. There are no right or wrong answers, and whatever you are feeling about your family, you are not the only one who has felt it.

What this scale looks at

It asks about four parts of your experience at home: your relationship with your own parent, your relationship with your stepparent, whether you feel like you belong in the family, and how safe and settled home feels day to day.

Your relationship with your biological parent

Whether you feel understood and supported by your own parent, or whether it has become harder to talk since the family changed. It is very common for this relationship to feel different after a parent re-partners, even when nothing has gone wrong between you.

Your relationship with your stepparent

Whether you feel comfortable around your stepparent and able to trust them, or whether things still feel awkward. There is no schedule for this. Some people feel close within months and others take years, and neither means anybody has failed.

Family identity and belonging

Whether this feels like your family and your home, or whether you sometimes feel on the outside of it. Feeling like a guest in your own house is one of the most common things young people in blended families describe, and one of the least often said out loud.

Emotional security at home

Whether home feels safe and steady, or whether changes and tension leave you unsettled. This is about how you feel in the house day to day, not about anything you have done.

Who this is for

Anyone growing up in a blended family, or anyone now grown who wants to make sense of having grown up in one. Younger children may want to do it alongside a parent or another adult they trust, so there is someone to talk to about the answers.

How it works

You answer 24 statements on a five-point scale. It takes about five minutes, nothing is timed, and there are no right answers — only what is true for you.

At the end you see a total score, four subscale scores, and a plain explanation of what each one suggests.

What your score means

Total scores run from 24 to 120 and fall into three ranges. A score is a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict on your family.

Severe challenges (24 to 57)

Distance, misunderstanding, feeling left out and tension at home are showing up across most areas. If your score lands here, it is worth telling an adult you trust — a parent, a relative, a school counsellor, or a therapist. This is not something you should have to carry by yourself.

Moderate challenges (58 to 91)

A mixed picture: some relationships and parts of home life are working, others feel strained. This is the most common range, and it usually points to one or two specific things worth talking about rather than everything being difficult.

Mild challenges (92 to 120)

You are generally adjusted, with stable relationships and a home that feels emotionally safe. That does not mean nothing is ever hard — it means the foundation is there when things do get hard.

If you are a parent reading this

Children often protect their parents by underplaying how they are finding the change. A low score is not an accusation, and it is usually more useful than reassuring. If your child completes this, the most helpful thing you can do is ask about the answers rather than the number.

You can also complete the version written for your own seat in the family: the biological parent inventory, the step-parent questionnaire, or the all-parent well-being questionnaire. Where a parent and a child score very differently, that gap is usually the most important thing to talk about.

What this scale is not

This scale is still in development and has not been validated through formal scientific research. It is not a diagnostic tool and it does not replace an evaluation by a professional.

If anything in the results worries you, or if home does not feel safe, please talk to a trusted adult or a therapist who works with blended families.

Other assessments in this series

The rest of the series covers each seat in the family: the all-parent well-being questionnaire, the step-parent integration and resilience questionnaire, and the biological parent synergy and collaboration inventory. You can also browse all of our self-discovery tools.

Working with us

Learn more about what we do, read answers to common questions, or meet our team.