Psychometric investigation of a belief system: caregiving to the chronically ill parent.

This research draws on psychometric theory to assess open-ended items and develop reliable measures for investigation of caregiver ideology. Coding criteria used in a qualitative investigation of caregivers' beliefs about filial obligation and parental dependency were transformed into closed-end items and fielded with a large sample. Factor analysis confirmed the dimensions derived from the qualitative inquiry, but also showed that variability on the filial obligation dimension was greater than anticipated. Assessing familial caregivers' beliefs about filial obligation and parental dependency is useful, for these beliefs predict aspects of caregiver satisfaction and burden. Thus, beliefs about one's commitment to render care are not simply a norm divorced from behavior, but rather a cultural model with motivational force.