The purpose of this article is to demonstrate, paradigmatically, the extent to which item score data can vary across cultures despite measurements from an instrument for which the factorial structure is equivalently specified in each group. Based on item scores from the Beck Depression Inventory, the authors first tested for the group invariance of factorial structure and then examined the patterns of item score distributions and response frequencies across Canadian (n = 658), Swedish (n = 1,096), and Bulgarian (n = 691) high school adolescents. Findings carry important implications for multigroup comparisons research in general, and for cross-cultural research in particular, where the primary interest focuses on testing for mean group differences.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allgood-Merten, B. , Lewinsohn, P. M., & Hops, H. (1990). Sex differences and adolescent depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 55-63.
2.
Archer, R. P. , Maruish, M., Imhof, E. A., & Piotrowski, C. (1991). Psychological test use with adolescents clients: 1990 survey findings. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 22, 247-252.
3.
Baron, P. , & Perron, L. M. (1986). Sex differences in the Beck Depression Inventory scores of adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 15, 165-171.
4.
Barrera, M., Jr. , & Garrison-Jones, C. V. (1988). Properties of the Beck Depression Inventory as a screening measure for adolescent depression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 16, 263-273.
5.
Beck, A. T. , Steer, R. A., & Garbin, M. G. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8, 77-100.
6.
Beck, A. T. , Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561-571.
7.
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238-246.
8.
Bentler, P. M. (1995). EQS: Structural equations program manual. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software.
9.
Bentler, P. M. , & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit on the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 588-606.
10.
Browne, M. W. , & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136-162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
11.
Byrne, B. M. (1994). Structural equation modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
12.
Byrne, B. M. (1995). One application of structural equation modeling from two perspectives: Exploring EQS and LISREL strategies. In R. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling in psychological research: Issues and applications (pp. 138-157). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
13.
Byrne, B. M. (1996). Measuring self-concept across the lifespan: Issues and instrumentation. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
14.
Byrne, B. M. (1998). Structural equation modeling with LISREL, PRELIS, and SIMPLIS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
15.
Byrne, B. M. , & Baron, P. (1993). The Beck Depression Inventory: Testing and cross-validating a hierarchical factor structure for nonclinical adolescents. Measurement and Development in Counseling and Development, 26, 164-178.
16.
Byrne, B. M. , Baron, P., & Balev, J. (1996). The Beck Depression Inventory: Testing for its factorial validity and invariance across gender for Bulgarian adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 21, 641-651.
17.
Byrne, B. M. , Baron, P., & Balev, J. (1998). The Beck Depression Inventory: A cross-validated test of second-order factorial structure for Bulgarian adolescents. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58, 241-251.
18.
Byrne, B. M. , Baron, P., & Campbell, T. L. (1993). Measuring adolescent depression: Factorial validity and invariance of the Beck Depression Inventory across gender. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 3, 127-143.
19.
Byrne, B. M. , Baron, P., Larsson, B., & Melin, L. (1995). The Beck Depression Inventory: Testing and cross-validating a second-order factorial structure for Swedish nonclinical adolescents. Behavioral Research and Therapy, 33, 345-356.
20.
Byrne, B. M. , Baron, P., Larsson, B., & Melin, L. (1996). Measuring depression for Swedish nonclinical adolescents: Factorial validity and equivalence of the Beck Depression Inventory across gender. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 37, 37-45.
21.
Byrne, B. M. , Shavelson, R. J., & Muthén, B. (1989). Testing for the equivalence of factor covariance and mean structures: The issue of partial measurement invariance. Psychological Bulletin, 105, 456-466.
22.
Crittenden, K. S. , Fugita, S. S., Bae, H., Lamug, C. B., & Lin, C. (1992). A cross-cultural study of self-report depressive symptoms among college students. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 23, 163-178.
23.
Ellis, B. B. (1989). Differential item functioning: Implications for test translations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 912-921.
24.
Hodges, K. , Kline, J., Stern, L., Cytryn, L., & McKnew, D. (1982). The development of a child assessment interview for research and clinical use. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 173-189.
25.
Hu, L. T. , & Bentler, P. M. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In R. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling in psychological research: Issues and applications (pp. 76-99). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26.
Hu, L. T. , Bentler, P. M., & Kano, Y. (1992). Can test statistics in covariance structure analysis be trusted?Psychological Bulletin, 112, 351-362.
27.
Hui, C. H. , & Triandis, H. C. (1985). Measurement in cross-cultural psychology: A review and comparison of strategies. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 16, 131-152.
28.
Hui, C. H. , & Triandis, H. C. (1989). Effects of culture and response format on extreme response style. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 20, 296-309.
29.
Hulin, C. L. (1987). A psychometric theory of evaluations of item and scale translations: Fidelity across languages. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 18, 115-142.
30.
Jöreskog, K. , & Sörbom, D. (1978). LISREL IV user’s guide. Chicago: National Educational Resources.
31.
Jöreskog, K. , & Sörbom, D. (1993). LISREL 8: Structural equation modeling with the SIMPLIS command language. Chicago: Scientific Software International.
32.
Koenig, L. J. , Isaacs, A. M., & Schwartz, J. A. J. (1994). Sex differences in adolescent depression and loneliness: Why are boys lonelier if girls are more depressed?Journal of Research in Personality, 28, 27-43.
33.
Larsson, B. , & Melin, L. (1990). Depressive symptoms in Swedish adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 18, 91-103.
34.
Manson, S. M. (1995). Culture and major depression: Current challenges in the diagnosis of mood disorders. Cultural Psychiatry, 18, 487-501.
35.
Marin, G. , Gamba, R. J., & Marin, B. V. (1992). Extreme response style and acquiescence among Hispanics. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 23, 498-509.
36.
Marsella, A. J. (1980). Depressive experience and disorder across cultures. In H. C. Triandis & J. G. Draguns (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology: Psychopathology (Vol. 6, pp. 237-289). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
37.
Marsella, M. , Kinzie, D., & Gordon, P. (1973). Ethnic variations in the expression of depression. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 4, 435-458.
38.
Mpofu, E. , & Nyanungo, K. R. L. (1998). Educational and psychological testing in Zimbabwean schools: Past, present, and future. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 14, 71-90.
39.
Muthén, B. , & Kaplan, D. (1985). A comparison of methodologies for the factor analysis of non-normal Likert variables. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 38, 171-189.
40.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. , & Girgus, J. S. (1994). The emergence of gender differences in depression during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 424-443.
41.
Paunonen, S. V. , & Ashton, M. C. (1998). The structured assessment of personality across cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 29, 150-170.
42.
Poortinga, Y. H. (1989). Equivalence of cross-cultural data: An overview of basic issues. International Journal of Psychology, 24, 737-756.
43.
Roberts, R. E. , Lewinsohn, P. M., & Seeley, J. R. (1991). Screening for adolescent depression: A comparison of depression scales. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 58-66.
44.
Satorra, A. , & Bentler, P. M. (1988). Scaling correction for chi-square statistics in covariance structure analysis. In American Statistical Association 1988 proceedings of the Business and Economic section (pp. 308-313). Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
45.
Shek, D. T. L. (1990). Reliability and factorial structure of the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46, 35-43.
46.
Sperber, A. D. , Devellis, R. F., & Boehlecke, B. (1994). Cross-cultural translation: Methodology and validation. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 25, 501-524.
47.
Spielberger, C. D. (1992). Critical issues in psychological assessment. Bulletin of the International Test Commission, 13, 59-64.
48.
Tabachnick, B. G. , & Fidell, L. S. (1996). Using multivariate statistics. New York: HarperCollins.
49.
Tanzer, N. K. (1995). Cross-cultural bias in Likert-type inventories: Perfect matching factor structures and still biased?European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 11, 194-201.
50.
Tennen, H. , Hall, J. A., & Affleck, G. (1995). Depression research methodologies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: A review and critique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 870-884.
51.
Teri, L. (1982). The use of the Beck Depression Inventory with adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 227-284.
52.
van de Vijver, F. J. R. (1998). Multicultural assessment: How suitable are Western tests?European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 14, 61.
53.
van de Vijver, F. , & Leung, K. (1997). Methods and data analysis for cross-cultural research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
54.
van de Vijver, F. , & Tanzer, N. K. (1997). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural assessment: An overview. European Review of Applied Psychology, 47, 263-279.
55.
Van Herk, H. , & Verhallen, T. M. M. (1996, August). Response effects in rating scales in three countries. Paper presented at the 26th Congress of Psychology, Montreal, Canada.
56.
Watkins, D. , & Cheung, S. (1995). Culture, gender, and response bias. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 26, 490-504.
