Measuring perceived receipt of filial piety among Chinese middle-aged and older adults

Filial piety plays an important role in the parent-child relationship in Chinese culture. To date, the majority of studies have focused on filial piety attitudes and expectations from the perspectives of the adult child. With only a few studies examining filial piety from the parent’s perspectives, there is a paucity of studies that examines the dimensionality of filial piety receipt. The objective of this study was to validate the Perceived Receipt of Filial Piety Scale (PRFPS), a 10-item questionnaire designed to measure how often Chinese parents perceive their child(ren) engage in filial pious behaviours. A total of 222 middle-aged and older adult Chinese parents (Mage = 67.91, SD = 13.20) completed the PRFPS, MultidimensionalScale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS). A single-factor structure emerged from the developed PRFPS, which demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .95). The scale was also significantly associated with the MSPSS (r = .50) and QOLS (r = .42), supporting convergent and criterion validity. In conclusion, the PRFPS is found to be a reliable and valid measure of perceived filial piety receipt among Chinese parents. Theoretical implications and suggestions for further scale development and research is discussed.