Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri.
Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri.
Psychol Assess. 2014 Mar;26(1):307-13. doi: 10.1037/a0034471. Epub 2013 Sep 23.
This study tested whether the measurement parameters of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale (PBSS; Martens et al., 2005) were equivalent for men and women in a college student sample. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses tested whether a similar 3-factor latent structure was shared across gender groups and whether item origins (i.e., thresholds) and the strength of associations between individual items and latent factors (i.e., factor loadings) were equivalent across gender groups. Multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) models tested whether gender differences in measurement parameters were explained by drinking patterns among college men and women. Results evidenced significant measurement bias (i.e., non-invariant measurement parameters) across gender groups at both the factor structure and individual item level. In addition, MIMIC models suggested that gender differences in item loadings and thresholds were not better explained by discrepancies in drinking patterns among male and female college students. Findings indicate that gender differences in latent factor scores may reflect measurement bias rather than true mean differences between gender groups, restricting meaningful comparisons of PBSS scores between college men and women. Implications for the assessment of specific strategies as well as clinical interventions among college students that include components on protective behavioral strategies are discussed.
本研究旨在检验在大学生样本中，保护性行为策略量表（PBSS；Martens 等人，2005 年）的测量参数是否在男女之间具有等效性。多组验证性因子分析检验了相似的 3 因素潜在结构是否在性别群体之间共享，以及项目起源（即阈值）和个体项目与潜在因素之间关联的强度（即因子负荷）是否在性别群体之间具有等效性。多指标多原因（MIMIC）模型检验了在大学生男女中，测量参数的性别差异是否可以由饮酒模式来解释。结果表明，在因子结构和个体项目层面上，性别群体之间存在显著的测量偏差（即测量参数不一致）。此外，MIMIC 模型表明，在个体项目的因子负荷和阈值上的性别差异不能通过男女大学生饮酒模式的差异来更好地解释。研究结果表明，潜在因子得分的性别差异可能反映了测量偏差，而不是性别群体之间的真实均值差异，这限制了男女大学生 PBSS 得分之间的有意义比较。讨论了针对大学生的特定策略评估以及包括保护性行为策略组成部分的临床干预措施的影响。
