Cultural factors

'They look after their own' is a phrase with which we are all familiar but to what extent do ethnic and minority groups care for and support for their family members? Given the current focus on carers, Rosalind Willis in this article presents the findings of a preliminary study into ethnicity and family support, and highlights that what is generally defined as 'support' may perhaps be interpreted differently within and because of different cultures. 

Literature on responsibility of adult children for aging parents reflects lack of conceptual clarity. The authors examined filial concepts across five cultural groups: African-, Asian-, Euro-, Latino-, and Native Americans. Data were randomly divided for scale development (n = 285) and cross-validation (n = 284). Exploratory factor analysis on 59 items identified three filial concepts: Responsibility, Respect, and Care.