Measuring dimensions of intergenerational contact: factor analysis of the Queen's University Scale

Intergenerational contact has been linked to a range of health outcomes, including greater engagement and lower depression. Measures of contact are limited. Informed by Allport's contact theory, the Queen's University Scale consists of items rating contact with elders. We administered the survey to a young adult sample (N = 606) to identify factors that may optimize intervention programming and enhance young persons' health as they age.

We conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in the structural equation modeling framework and then confirmatory factor analysis with items pertaining to the general elder population.

EFAs did not yield an adequate factor structure. We tested two alternative confirmatory models based on findings from the EFA. Neither a second-order model nor a first-order model allowing double loadings and correlated errors proved adequate.

Difficulty finding an adequate factor solution reflects challenges to measuring intergenerational contact with this scale. Items reflect relevant topics but subscale models are limited in interpretability. Knox and colleagues' analyses led them to recommend a brief, global scale, but we did not find empirical support for such a measure. Next steps include development and testing of a reliable, valid scale measuring dimensions of contact as perceived by both youth and elders.