Yichun Liu, Yuan Zhang, Mengya Xia, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
published in the Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Love and Relationship Studies, 6-8 March, 2026
You can see the full video recording of this presentation at the YouTube channel of the International Institute of Love Studies
Introduction
Parental love is vital for children’s optimal mental health by shaping children’s first experiences of feeling loved (Sabey et al., 2018). Researchers have commonly examined parental love through relevant constructs like attachment and warmth that emphasize parental behaviors or dyadic relational styles, but have paid less attention to the elements of parental love that makes children feel loved (Ali et al., 2021; Sabey et al., 2018; Williams et al., 2024). In this study, we intend to measure parental love by drawing on a recent theoretical framework of felt love in interpersonal contexts, which conceptualizes felt love as (1) other’s positive responsiveness to one’s needs, (2) authentic connection with the other person, and (3) a sense of relationship stability across contexts and time (Xia et al., 2024). Applying these components to the parent-child relationship, we conceptualize parental love specifically as parents’ self-reported positive responsiveness to their child’s needs, their authentic emotional connection with the child, and their perceived stability of the parent-child relationship. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a parent-report measure of parental love and to evaluate its psychometric properties.
Methodology and Methods
Three hundred and sixty-nine parents (81.0% female, 
43.71, 
5.72) of U.S. adolescents participated in the study. They completed the parental love scale, a 6-point Likert scale (1 = “Strongly Disagree”, 6 = “Strongly Agree”). Items were developed to cover the three components: positive responsiveness to the child’s needs (e.g., “I show warmth and concern for my child”), authentic connection with the child (e.g., “I really understand the pain and joy that my child experience”), and a sense of relationship stability with the child (e.g., “My child can always count on me in times of need”).
Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to finalize items, while confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate structure validity. Finally, reliability and criterion validity with adolescent well-being variables were assessed to establish the scale’s psychometric properties.
Highlights of Results
Preliminary analyses indicated that the data is suitable for factor analysis. EFA supported a three-factor structure, accounting for 69.52% of the total variance. After removing items with substantial cross-loadings, the final scale contained 11 items across 3 factors consistent with expectations: positive responsiveness (4 items), authentic connection (3 items), and a sense of stability (4 items).
CFA results further supported this factor structure of the scale. The 11-item scale with 3 first-order factors and 1 higher-order factor (i.e., parental love) demonstrated great model fit (CFI= .97, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .04). Factor loadings were high on first-order and higher-order factors, indicating that the items adequately captured the three dimensions of parental love. The scale exhibited strong reliability overall (Cronbach’s α = .89), and in different subscales (Cronbach’s α ranged from .79 to .87).
The parental love scale also demonstrated good criterion validity, showing significant positive associations with adolescents’ life satisfaction (r = .28, p < .01) and happiness (r = .28, p < .01), and negative associations with depression (r = -.19, p < .01) and anxiety (r = -.14, p < .01).
Discussion and Conclusions
This study validated a psychometrically strong measure of parental love, with a three-factor structure consistent with prior conceptualization (i.e., positive responsiveness, authentic connection, and a sense of stability; Xia et al., 2024). The parental love scale also demonstrated good criterion validity with adolescent mental health indicators. These findings highlight parental love as a multidimensional construct, and introduce a promising tool for future research on parental love and its developmental implications.
References
Ali, E., Letourneau, N., & Benzies, K. (2021). Parent-Child Attachment: A Principle-Based Concept Analysis. SAGE Open Nursing, 7, 23779608211009000. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608211009000
Sabey, A. K., Rauer, A. J., Haselschwerdt, M. L., & Volling, B. (2018). Beyond “Lots of Hugs and Kisses”: Expressions of Parental Love From Parents and Their Young Children in Two-Parent, Financially Stable Families. Family Process, 57(3), 737–751. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12327
Williams, A. I., Liu, C., Zhou, Q., Wu, J., Meng, L., Fang Deng, X., & Chen, S. H. (2024). Parental expressions of love in Chinese American immigrant families: Implications for children’s attachment security. Developmental Science, 27(6), e13549. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13549
Xia, M., Chen, Y., & Dunne, S. (2024). What Makes People Feel Loved? An Exploratory Study on Core Elements of Love Across Family, Romantic, and Friend Relationships. Family Process, 63(3), 1304–1318. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12873
Keywords: Parental Love, Scale Validation, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis