Taxonomy of family life styles: III. Replication with families with severely mentally retarded children.

The home environment and behavior of 97 families with severely mentally retarded children was examined in order to determine the presence of family types. Cluster analysis was performed on 16 measures of proximal home environment. Five unique family clusters were identified: cohesive, control-oriented, responsive-to-child, moral-religious-oriented, nonachievement-oriented, and achievement-oriented. Comparison among the clusters on other family and child characteristics and behaviors revealed significant differences. The family types identified in this study were similar to previously determined family types. These findings appear to support the establishment of a standard classification of families.