Military Background and Gender Identity in Psychological Assessment Among College Students: Factorial Invariance of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial invariance of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms–62 (CCAPS-62) across military background and gender identity. A sample of 2,208 military students and 2,208 nonmilitary students were chosen from a large database of university and college counseling centers. Using exploratory structural equation modeling, findings suggested the CCAPS-62 is mostly invariant across military background and gender identity. Only three item thresholds appeared to be noninvariant across groups. These results suggest comparisons of scores across military background and gender can be made. Latent mean differences across groups were also examined. After controlling for several background variables, there were some differences between males and females on subscales measuring depression, eating concerns, and generalized anxiety, but no differences between military and nonmilitary students. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Keywords

factorial invariance exploratory structural equation modeling military gender identity

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Military Background and Gender Identity in Psychological Assessment Among College Students: Factorial Invariance of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms–62 (CCAPS-62)

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