The Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI) : hierarchical confirmatory factor analyses and factorial invariance

Abstract

Objective: This paper examines the dimensionality and factorial invariance of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI) using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MCFAs). Method: A total of 3,649 students responded to the C-FAI in a community survey. Results: Results showed that there are five dimensions of the C-FAI (communication, mutuality, conflict and harmony, parental concern, parental control), which are subsumed under two higher order factors (family interaction and parenting). Evidence of factorial invariance in terms of configuration, first-order factor loadings, second-order factor loadings, intercepts of measured variable, and intercepts of first-order latent factor, was found. Conclusions: The C-FAI is an objective measure of Chinese family functioning with high factorial validity. It can be used in family practice contexts of Chinese families.