Confirmatory factor analysis of the familism scale in a sample of dementia caregivers

Aging Ment Health. 2008 Jul;12(4):504-8. doi: 10.1080/13607860802224227.

Abstract

Familism is considered to be a cultural value shared by different Hispanic groups. The familism scale (FS) was developed by Sabogal, Marín, Otero-Sabogal, Marín, and Perez-Stable (1987, Hispanic familism and acculturation: What changes and what doesn't? Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, vol. 9, pp. 397-412) as a self-report measure of this construct, and three dimensions were obtained through exploratory factor analysis: familial obligations, perceived support from the family, and family as referents.

Objectives and method: The purpose of the present study was to assess the underlying factor structure of the FS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a sample of 135 Spanish caregivers.

Results: The original model did not fit the data well, and five items with factor loadings below 0.40 were trimmed. The fit indexes for the remaining items suggest a good fit of this model and an acceptable internal consistency index.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the modified factor model for the FS has acceptable psychometric properties in a sample of dementia caregivers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Caregivers / psychology*
  • Culture*
  • Dementia / nursing*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Hispanic or Latino / psychology
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Middle Aged
  • Spain