Measurement Invariance of the Self-Concept Clarity Scale across Race and Sex

Abstract

Self-concept clarity refers to the extent to which one holds a coherent, consistent, and stable view of one’s attributes and conceptualization of the self. Self-concept clarity is related to a number of constructs including psychopathology, adaptive development, cultural identity, coping style, and leadership. The most commonly used measure is the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS; Campbell et al. 1996). The SCCS has been used in diverse groups and provides evidence that self-concept clarity varies among ethnicities and between sexes. This study tested the measurement invariance of SCCS scores across large samples of White (n = 696), East Asian (n = 794), Southeast Asian (n = 489), Pacific Islander (n = 238), and Multiracial (n = 490) participants, and between sexes. Findings indicate that the SCCS has configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance among races and between sexes. The latent factor variance and means were also equal across groups. These results suggest that the SCCS measures the same construct among groups and that scores represent the same level of self-concept clarity among groups. The current study found small but statistically significant differences among races in SCCS scores, which likely represent actual differences in self-concept clarity rather than different psychometric properties among groups.