Measuring Filial Piety in the 21st Century: Development, Factor Structure, and Reliability of the 10-Item Contemporary Filial Piety Scale

J Appl Gerontol. 2016 Nov;35(11):1235-1247. doi: 10.1177/0733464815570664. Epub 2015 Feb 9.

Abstract

The experience and practice of filial piety have evolved in modern Chinese societies, and existing measures fail to capture these important changes. Based on a conceptual analysis on current literature, 42 items were initially compiled to form a Contemporary Filial Piety Scale (CFPS), and 1,080 individuals from a representative sample in Hong Kong were surveyed. Principal component analysis generated a 16-item three-factor model: Pragmatic Obligations (Factor 1; 10 items), Compassionate Reverence (Factor 2; 4 items), and Family Continuity (Factor 3; 2 items). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed strong factor loadings for Factors 1 and 2, while removing Factor 3 and conceptually duplicated items increased total variance explained from 58.02% to 60.09% and internal consistency from .84 to .88. A final 10-item two-factor structure model was adopted with a goodness of fit of 0.95. The CFPS-10 is a data-driven, simple, and efficient instrument with strong psychometric properties for assessing contemporary filial piety.

Keywords: Hong Kong Chinese; confirmatory factor analysis; filial piety; principal component analysis; scale development.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Adult Children / ethnology
  • Adult Children / psychology
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Culture
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Hong Kong
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parent-Child Relations* / ethnology
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult