The Applicability of Familism to Diverse Ethnic Groups: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The author examined the extent to which familism, which is generally regarded as a Hispanic cultural value, is applicable to other ethnic groups as well. An ethnically diverse sample of 318 Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black young adults completed measures of attitudinal familism, collectivism, and interdependence. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scoring algorithm for the familism measure fit the data well, both overall and across ethnic groups. The author conducted analyses to ascertain (a) differences in the factor structure of familism, (b) mean differences in endorsement of familism, and (c) differences in associations of familism with collectivism and interdependence between Hispanics and the other ethnic groups. Few significant or noteworthy differences emerged in any of these analyses, suggesting that familism may be applicable to and may operate similarly within diverse ethnic groups. The author discussed findings in terms of convergence between familism and other collectivist and interdependent value orientations.

Keywords:

• collectivism
• cross-ethnic consistency
• familism
• Hispanic
• interdependence