Measures of Family Process: Psychometric Properties and Invariance Testing Across South Koreans, Korean Chinese, and Korean Americans

초록

Using data from three interrelated studies of Korean adolescents in South Korea (N = 524; M-age = 14.98), China (N = 267; M-age = 15.24), and the United States (N = 408; M-age = 14.76), this study tested the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of multiple measures of family process, including those originally developed for subgroups of Asian Americans and commonly used Western measures. The results showed excellent psychometric properties of the scales in each group and supported metric and scalar invariances, at least partial for some, of the examined measures, providing cross-culturally comparable instruments for diverse Korean communities across the United States and majority countries. The findings also showed nuanced cultural variations despite similar conceptualizations of the constructs across groups. The study compared the means of the family process measures and examined the associations among these measures and with youth adjustments. The results from these urban samples in three different sociopolitical and economic contexts may reflect a complex interplay of culture and minority status in shaping the family process and its impact on youth development, illustrating how the modern Korean family process is flexible and responsive to local contexts. The findings of this study present useful instruments and warrant additional research on the antecedents, mechanisms, and implications of the family process to maximize youth potential in respective contexts.

키워드