Development of a New Measure of Intergenerational Contact

Intergenerational Contact Measure FAQ

What is intergenerational contact and why is it important?

Intergenerational contact refers to interactions and relationships between individuals of different age groups, both within families (familial) and outside of them (non-familial). These relationships are considered vital for people of all ages. For older adults, contact with younger generations can support well-being and may even reduce the risk of mortality. For younger adults, older individuals can serve as mentors and offer different perspectives, aiding in the transmission of norms and traditions.

Why was a new measure of intergenerational contact needed?

Existing measures of intergenerational contact were found to be underdeveloped and had limitations. These limitations included age restrictions for respondents, a focus on limited contexts, and poor psychometric properties (reliability and validity). Current measures also often failed to capture the multi-dimensional nature of intergenerational relationships and different theoretical models were used for familial and non-familial ties. Therefore, a new, reliable, and valid measure was necessary to accurately explore the role of intergenerational contact in adult development and evaluate the impact of intergenerational programs.

How was the new Intergenerational Contact (IGC) Measure developed?

The development of the IGC Measure was a multi-phase project. Initially, a draft was created based on existing theory and literature, designed for a 6th to 8th-grade reading level and including scales for both familial and non-familial contact. This draft was then reviewed by a Delphi expert panel of intergenerational researchers and practitioners to establish construct and face validity. Feedback from the Delphi panel led to revisions. Finally, the revised measure was pilot tested with focus groups of young, middle-aged, and older adults to gather further feedback on clarity, content coverage, and feasibility.

What theories informed the development of the IGC Measure?

Two primary theories informed the development of the IGC Measure: intergenerational solidarity theory and intergroup contact theory. Intergenerational solidarity theory describes the dimensions of cohesion and conflict between generations within families and society, focusing on aspects like frequency of contact, type of contact, and the nature of support exchanged. Intergroup contact theory posits the conditions necessary for positive interactions between different groups, such as authority support, equal status, cooperation, shared goals, and friendship mechanisms. The IGC Measure was designed to reflect tenets of both theories.

What did the focus groups reveal about the initial IGC Measure?

The focus groups provided valuable feedback for revising the IGC Measure. Participants generally found the survey clear and appropriately lengthed. However, they offered suggestions for improvement, such as including questions about conflict and obligation in interactions. Middle-aged adults noted that the ordering of some items could be clearer, and the definition of "interaction" needed to be broad enough to include various forms of communication like phone calls and email. Discussions also highlighted the importance of geographic proximity and how it affects intergenerational contact, as well as the need to consider who is included in the definition of "family."

What is Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and what did it show for the IGC Measure?

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is a statistical technique used to test whether the relationships among observed variables conform to a hypothesized factor structure. For the IGC Measure, CFA was used to examine the proposed two-factor structure (positive and negative contact) for both the familial and non-familial scales across different age groups. The analysis confirmed an eight-item, two-factor structure. It also tested for measurement invariance (configural, metric, and scalar) to see if the measure operated similarly across age groups.

Did the IGC Measure work equally well for all age groups and types of contact?

The study found that the IGC Measure demonstrated configural and metric invariance for both familial and non-familial subscales across younger, middle-aged, and older adults. This means the items measured the same constructs (positive and negative contact) in a similar way across age groups, allowing for meaningful comparisons of associations (like correlations and regression coefficients). However, only the non-familial subscale achieved partial scalar invariance, indicating that mean levels of non-familial contact can be compared across age groups. The familial subscale did not achieve scalar invariance, suggesting that direct comparisons of average familial contact levels across age groups may not be meaningful due to differences in how different age groups interpret or respond to certain items.

What are the potential uses and future directions for the IGC Measure?

The IGC Measure is intended to be a valuable tool for both researchers and practitioners. Researchers can use it to study the impact of intergenerational contact on health and well-being, control for prior contact in intervention studies, or evaluate the effectiveness and "dosage" of intergenerational programs over time. Practitioners can use the free, ready-to-use scale as an outcome measure to evaluate their programs, compare results with other programs, and improve practices. Future research should focus on further validating the measure by examining convergent and divergent validity, translating it into other languages, assessing its feasibility in large-scale studies, and exploring its relevance in specific intergenerational contexts like caregiving or workplace relationships. Investigating why certain items function differently across age groups for familial contact could also provide valuable theoretical insights.