Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the filial maturity measure (C-FMM)

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the revised Filial Maturity Measure (FMM) in a sample of Chinese adults and examine the influence of gender, age and life course transitions (i.e., marital status and having children or not) on various dimensions of filial maturity. In Study 1, according to a review of current literature, ten items of the FMM and eight supplementary items together form the initial item pool. Then confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on a sample of 682 Chinese adults to screen valid items and verify the factorial structure. Two factors containing 10 items were obtained. Study 2 confirmed the adequacy of the two-factor structure using CFA in a second sample, and the internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, structural validity, discrimination validity, convergent validity, and measurement invariance of the scale had been verified. The results showed that the two-factor measure of comprehending (6 items) and distancing (4 items) is valid and reliable and can therefore be used to measure the filial maturity of Chinese adults of different genders and ages. Additionally, filial maturity had a positive relation with having children.