Effects of acculturation and social exchange on the expectations of filial piety among Hispanic/Latino parents of adult children

Abstract

This study explores the effects of acculturation and social exchange variables on the expectations of filial piety (values and beliefs about parents' care) among Hispanic/Latino parents of adult children. A convenience sample of 318 Hispanics/Latinos with adult children was assembled in Texas and North Carolina, USA, for face-to-face interviews in order to collect information about their families and to assess their expectations of filial piety by their adult children. The number of years in the USA, age, gender, the eldest child's age, and living with a person > or = 65 years of age had significant relationships to scores from a new Spanish version of the Expectations of Filial Piety Scale (EFPS). The significant variables explained 46.3% of the variance in the EFPS scores. A conceptual model that includes both acculturation and social exchange variables is a useful approach for understanding the expectations of filial piety by Hispanic/Latino parents of adult children.