Background: Existing studies of depression and family functioning have used western samples to examine how depression and impaired family functioning are related, and to explore levels of discrepancy between depressed patients and their family members. The purpose of the current study is to explore these questions in a Chinese sample.

Method: This study examined the association between family functioning and depression in a Chinese sample of 60 depressed patients and their family members and 60 non-clinical controls and their family members. The study evaluated levels of agreement between family members on a self-report measure of family functioning (Family Assessment Device) using reliability statistics. It also compared families’ self-reported family functioning to that of a trained observer using an observational rating scale (McMaster Clinical Rating Scale).

Results: Results indicate poorer family functioning among Chinese families with a depressed family member, high to moderate agreement between patients and family members, moderate to low agreement between non-clinical participants and their family members, and moderate correlations between subjective and objective ratings of family functioning in a mainland Chinese sample.

Conclusions: As in other cultures, depression is associated with impaired family functioning in Chinese families. There is good agreement between family members and a trained evaluator about the family impairments. The Family Assessment Device and the McMaster Clinical Rating Scale are useful for assessing family functioning in Chinese families.