Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Research Articles

One step beyond emotional intelligence measurement in the career development of adult learners: A bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework

One step beyond emotional intelligence measurement in the career development of adult learners: A bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework

Workaholism and work engagement: An examination of their psychometric multidimensionality and relations with employees’ functioning

This research sought to provide a better understanding of the psychometric multidimensionality of workers’ responses to the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES; Studies 1 and 3) and the Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS; Studies 2 and 3). This research also aimed to document the relations between the components of work engagement and workaholism and workers’ functioning (i.e., job satisfaction, work performance, work-family conflict, and sleeping problems). Three studies (N = 273, N = 241, N = 304) were conducted to reach these objectives. Results from these three studies indicated that a bifactor-exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor-ESEM) representation of workaholism and work engagement ratings was superior to alternative representations. Specifically, employees’ assessments of work engagement concurrently reflected a global work engagement factor which co-existed with specific vigor, dedication, and absorption components. Similarly, employees’ ratings of workaholism revealed a global workaholism factor and simultaneous specific working excessively and working compulsively facets. Our findings also shed light on the criterion-related validity of these workaholism and work engagement components by documenting their differentiated associations with measures of job satisfaction, work performance, work-family conflict, and sleeping problems. Precisely, results from Studies 1 to 3 consistently showed the key role of global workaholism, global work engagement, and the specific vigor facet in predicting outcomes.

Re-Applying the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale to Various Portuguese Exercise Groups: An Analysis of Bifactor Models and Contextual Invariance.

This research explored the nature of basic psychological needs in physical activity settings by applying relatively advanced methodological procedures for psychometric assessment. We first re-examined the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES) by reviewing its applicability for physical activity domains among Portuguese respondents. We demonstrated the use of Bifactor Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) and discussed the practical implications of these models. Next, we tested contextual measurement invariance in order to examine needs universality. Our participants were gym exercisers (n = 1935), physical education students (n = 1449), and athletes (n = 1631), all of whom completed the adapted and validated version of the scale in their respective practice physical activity domains. All models under analysis displayed acceptable to excellent fit; the bifactor ESEM model displayed the best fit. We conducted ancillary bifactor measures to assess scale dimensionality and found that the BPNES is best interpreted as a multidimensional instrument. Through testing for multigroup analysis, the bifactor ESEM did not show contextual invariance. In conclusion, the BPNES should be predominantly used as a multidimensional instrument when assessing basic needs in separate physical activity domains. Basic psychological needs are perceived differently between seemingly similar physical activity contexts. Researchers should measure basic needs as a global factor and use context validated sub-scales.

Testing associations between global and specific levels of student academic motivation and engagement in the classroom

Using data from 4047 adolescents in three countries, this study was designed to investigate the associations between two important components of the learning process: academic motivation and student engagement. To increase the precision and accuracy of these analyses, preliminary analyses were conducted to identify the optimal measurement structure of both constructs, leading us to retain a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling representation of academic motivation and of a partial bifactor confirmatory factor analytic representation for student engagement. Our main analyses revealed that academic motivation factors were able to explain almost 66% of the variance in global levels of engagement, and between 5% and 35% of the variance in specific levels of engagement. Finally, mediation analyses supported the role of emotional engagement as a mediator of the association between academic motivation and global and specific behavioral forms of engagement.

Is Burnout a Depressive Condition? A 14-Sample Meta-Analytic and Bifactor Analytic Study

There is no consensus on whether burnout constitutes a depressive condition or an original entity requiring specific medical and legal recognition. In this study, we examined burnout–depression overlap using 14 samples of individuals from various countries and occupational domains ( N = 12,417). Meta-analytically pooled disattenuated correlations indicated (a) that exhaustion—burnout’s core—is more closely associated with depressive symptoms than with the other putative dimensions of burnout (detachment and efficacy) and (b) that the exhaustion–depression association is problematically strong from a discriminant validity standpoint ( r = .80). The overlap of burnout’s core dimension with depression was further illuminated in 14 exploratory structural equation modeling bifactor analyses. Given their consistency across countries, languages, occupations, measures, and methods, our results offer a solid base of evidence in support of the view that burnout problematically overlaps with depression. We conclude by outlining avenues of research that depart from the use of the burnout construct.

The Structure of the Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25)

Abstract. The Emotional Processing Scale (EPS) assesses emotional processing in terms of suppression, signs of unprocessed emotion, controllability of emotions, avoidance of emotional triggers, and impoverished emotional experience. Previous confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) yielded insufficient fit and questioned the EPS factors’ discriminant validity. The present study aimed to test unidimensional, five-factor, and bifactor models using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and CFA. We administered the scale to 350 Italian participants in good health and 346 gastrointestinal patients referred for endoscopy because of mild-to-severe gastrointestinal symptoms. ESEM models outperformed corresponding CFA models. The bifactor ESEM model was a good fit in single group analyses and achieved metric and scalar invariance in multigroup analyses. The inspection of latent mean differences revealed a consistent trend for patients to avoid emotional triggers and have less general emotional processing difficulties. The study clarified the EPS factor structure and supported its use to assess the emotional processing of medical patients and community participants.

Reciprocal Associations between Burnout and Depression: An 8‐Year Longitudinal Study

The purpose of the present four‐wave longitudinal study was to examine the differentiation and reciprocal associations between burnout and depression, and their associations with a series of correlates related to employees’ physical and psychological health (sleep disturbances, somatic symptoms, self‐rated subjective health, and life satisfaction). A total of 542 early career Finnish workers filled out questionnaires four times over a period of 8 years. First, our results supported the superiority of a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor‐ESEM) representation of employees’ burnout ratings, and the empirical differentiation between burnout and depression ratings over each measurement occasion. These results further revealed moderate cross‐sectional associations between burnout and depression, supporting their inter‐related character but also their empirical distinctiveness. Second, autoregressive cross‐lagged analyses revealed that both constructs presented a moderate level of stability over time and reciprocal associations that generalized to all time intervals considered. Finally, relations between depression and all correlates measures during the last wave of the study were in the expected direction, whereas burnout was found to be more weakly related to only a subset of these correlates. Taken together, these results thus support the distinctiveness of burnout and depression, and the presence of mutually reinforcing relations between them.

Is Burnout Primarily Linked to Work-Situated Factors? A Relative Weight Analytic Study.

It has often been asserted that burnout is primarily linked to occupational-context factors, and only secondarily to individual-level (e.g., personality) and non-work (or general) factors. We evaluated the validity of this view by examining the links between burnout and an array of 22 work-situated (effort-reward imbalance, unreasonable work tasks, unnecessary work tasks, weekly working hours, job autonomy, skill development, performance feedback, and support in work life), work-unrelated (sentimental accomplishment, familial accomplishment, number of child[ren], leisure activities, residential satisfaction, environmental quality, security in daily life, and support in personal life), dispositional (neuroticism, sex, age, and physical condition), and intersecting (work–non-work conflict and non-work–work conflict) variables. The study involved schoolteachers from three different countries: France (N = 4,395), Spain (N = 611), and Switzerland (N = 514). Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators. Most of our predictors were assessed based on widely used measures (e.g., neuroticism was assessed with the NEO-Five Factor Inventory). In order to assess sentimental accomplishment and familial accomplishment, we created two self-reported measures, namely, the Sentimental Accomplishment Inventory (SAI; 9 items) and the Familial Accomplishment Inventory (FAI; 9 items). The SAI and the FAI both showed strong reliability and high factorial validity. Exploratory structural equation modeling bifactor analysis and Mokken scaling suggested that both instruments could be considered essentially unidimensional. The study results showed that neuroticism, job strain, skill development, security in daily life, and work–non-work conflict were consistently associated with burnout across the three samples. Sample-specific predictors of burnout included sex, age, unreasonable work tasks, weekly working hours, job autonomy, support in work life, sentimental accomplishment, leisure activities, support in personal life, and non-work–work conflict. Relative weight analysis indicated that neuroticism was the best predictor of burnout in each sample. Our findings suggest that burnout’s nomological network may not be primarily job-related. We conclude that the tendency to de-emphasize individual-level and non-work factors in burnout research is unwise. This tendency may constitute a roadblock in the development of effective interventional strategies. The implications of our findings for burnout’s conceptual status are discussed. The neuroticism-burnout link should be further examined in longitudinal studies.

Testing the contribution of general factor of character strengths to well-being: An exploratory bifactor approach

Empirical evidence demonstrated the significant contributions of character strengths to wellbeing. However, the co- or non-existence of a general factor (G-factor) of good character and the specific factors (S-factors) of character strengths (i.e., inquisitiveness, caring, and self-control) remain debatable. A total of 1866 individuals from Mainland China completed the Three-dimensional Inventory of Character Strengths (TICS), of which a sub-sample (N = 498) also completed the additional Flourishing Scale. The bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Model (bifactor-ESEM) were tested, results showed the bifactor-ESEM model of character strengths had excellent goodness-of-fit. G-factor and the S-factors were well defined by the presence of strong and significant target loadings. The G-factor and S-factors’ contribution to wellbeing were further examined through ESEM-within-CFA (EwC) method. The G-factor significantly explained the 50.3% variance of wellbeing when it was the sole predictor and remained significant when inquisitiveness, caring, and self-control factors were considered. The present study confirmed the G-factor of character strengths and its significant contribution to wellbeing. Future studies can develop clinical and non-clinical wellbeing enhancement interventions with a focus on general and specific character strengths that transcend the current signature-strengths paradigm.

Validation of the French Psychological Capital Questionnaire (F-PCQ-24) and its measurement invariance using bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework

ABSTRACT The general purpose of this study was to validate the French Psychological Capital Questionnaire (F-PCQ-24) in a French Air Force sample (N = 3,665). One specific aim was to verify what the best measurement model is for PsyCap, notably by using Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (B-ESEM). Another specific aim was to examine the measurement invariance of the best fitting model for the F-PCQ-24 across gender, rank and tenure. Results supported the superiority of the B-ESEM model of PsyCap with the hope dimension divided into its two components (will-power and way-power). Moreover, multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated the measurement invariance of F-PCQ-24 for gender and tenure, while there was a small problem with measurement invariance for rank. Overall, these findings confirm that the F-PCQ-24 is a stable measure of PsyCap and support previous theoretical considerations that PsyCap is a core construct. Implications of these findings, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

A configural approach to aspirations: The social breadth of aspiration profiles predicts well-being over and above the intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations that comprise the profiles.

We conducted a person-centered analysis of the Aspiration Index to identify subgroups that differ in the levels of their specific (wealth, fame and image, personal growth, relationships, community giving, and health) and global intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations. In a Hungarian (N = 3,370; 77% female; age: M = 23.57), an Australian (N = 1,632; 51% female; age: M = 16.6), and an American sample (N = 6,063; 82.2% female; age: M = 21.86), we conducted separate bifactor exploratory structural equation models to disentangle the level of higher-order intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations from the shape of specific aspirations by using the resultant factor scores as indicators in latent profile analyses. The analyses yielded 3 replicable latent profiles: Disengaged from relationships and health (Profile 1); Aspiring for interpersonal relationships more than community relationships (Profile 2); and Aspiring for community relationships more than interpersonal relationships (Profile 3), with Profile 3 reliably experiencing the highest well-being. To demonstrate the incremental value of our approach to more traditional variable-centered methods, we used profile membership to predict well-being while controlling for the aspirations that comprise the profiles. Even in these conservative tests, profile membership explained additional variance in well-being. However, the real-life significance of the size of the incremental value appeared quite small. These studies make a unique contribution to the literature by identifying replicable latent profiles of aspiring, membership to which uniquely predicted well-being, over and above the constituent variables. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Questionnaire on Self-Transcendence (QUEST): A Measure of Trait Self-Transcendence Informed by Contextual Cognitive Behavioral Therapies

Self-transcendence is thought to increase well-being and is implicitly promoted in contextual cognitive behavioral therapies (CCBTs). This study conceptualizes, develops, and validates the first comprehensive CCBT-informed self-transcendence questionnaire. Using a CCBT-informed theory, we propose four self-transcendence facets: distancing oneself from mental content, distinguishing an observer of mental experience that is separate from the content of experience, experiencing innate connectedness with other beings, and noticing the constantly changing nature of experience. We measured these facets with items from existing relevant questionnaires and novel, expert-informed items. Exploratory factor analyses and bifactor exploratory structural equation models supported the first three of these facets. Those factors evidenced convergent validity with decentering, defusion, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness, and criterion and incremental validity in predicting psychological well-being. Our findings support a CCBT-informed model of self-transcendence, introduce the first instrument to comprehensively measure the self-transcendence facets we identified, indicate links with well-being, and suggest future intervention targets.

Psychological and relational conditions for job crafting to occur.

This study aimed to provide a wider understanding of the determinants of job crafting by jointly considering employee well- and ill-being (work engagement and exhaustion) and socio-environmental factors (supervisor and colleague support) as possible levers to promote job crafting. A secondary goal of this research was to simultaneously explore the multidimensionality of work engagement and the potentially differentiated associations between the different facets of work engagement and job crafting behaviours. Questionnaire surveys were collected among 533 workers from various organizations located in France. Results from preliminary analyses showed the superiority of a Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (B-ESEM) representation of work engagement when compared to alternative representations of ratings of this multidimensional construct. Specifically, employees' ratings of work engagement simultaneously reflected a global work engagement construct, which co-existed with specific vigor, dedication and absorption components. Results from a predictive model indicated that the different facets of work engagement held differentiated relations with job crafting behaviours, while exhaustion did not significantly relate to any job crafting behaviours. Colleague and supervisor support also held differentiated relations with the demands-related job crafting behaviours, while both forms of support were associated with employees' seeking more job resources. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

“Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale”: French validation and development of a brief version

The “Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale” (GPTS) has become a popular measure in paranoia research. The GPTS assesses paranoid ideation based on ideas of reference and persecution. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we examined the characteristics of the French-translated GPTS. More specifically, we investigated the psychometric and structural properties of the GPTS in its original, 32-item version and its revised, 18-item version. Second, we developed a briefer, 8-item version of the scale (GPTS-8). We relied on a nonclinical sample of 503 individuals. We relied on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) bifactor analysis, Mokken scaling, and the DETECT multidimensionality index. Two-factor CFA models exhibited a satisfactory fit with all versions of the GPTS. Between-factor correlations, however, were very large. ESEM bifactor analysis suggested that all versions of the GPTS were essentially unidimensional. The GPTS-8 demonstrated strong reliability and high factorial validity. Although the DETECT index suggested that some degree of multidimensionality could not be excluded, Mokken scaling confirmed that the GPTS-8 can be considered unidimensional in practice. This study supports the use of the GPTS as a measure of paranoid ideation in French-speaking populations. The GPTS-8 may be preferred to reduce respondent burden.

Getting to the core: How “(dis)honest” is the core of the Dark Triad?

Recent work on the Dark Triad has underscored the role of both general and specific factors as sources of variance. Specifically, there are two competing perspectives: a unification approach where the Dark Triad reflects a broad, general factor and a separatist approach which views the three specific traits of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy as separate factors. This differentiation has complicated and confounded past work which has considered the core of the Dark Triad in terms of low honest-humility. As the empirical research on this issue is equivocal, the current study uses bi-factor exploratory structural equation modeling to provide a stringent test of whether honesty-humility demonstrates stronger relations with the Dark Triad's general factor than with the three specific factors. Results shows that although honest-humility demonstrated negative relations with each Dark Triad factor, relations between honest-humility and the general factor were approximately equal, or weaker than, relations between honest-humility and the specific Machiavellianism factor. This study provides contradictory evidence against the perspective that the core of the Dark Triad reflects the inverse of honest-humility. Recommendations for continued research are discussed.

Psychometric evaluation of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale in a Chinese sample

The current research investigated the factor structure, measurement invariance, internal consistency reliability, convergent and incremental validity, and test-retest reliability of the Chinese version of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale (ECSS). The bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor-ESEM) resulted in the best-fit indices and unbiased parameter estimates with the joint presence of the general encouragement character strength factor and the two specific factors (i.e., perceived ability and enjoyment). The total and factor scores of the ECSS showed good internal consistency reliability in all samples. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed. In support of their convergent validity, the ECSS scores showed strong associations with measures of kindness, hope, social connectedness, extroversion, agreeableness, and psychological well-being. After controlling the variables of kindness, hope, social connectedness, extroversion, and agreeableness, the ECSS showed incremental validity for psychological well-being. Test-retest reliability was established for the total and factor scores of the ECSS. Overall, the Chinese version of the ECSS seems to be an effective and dependable scale for measuring the encouragement character strength construct.

Bi-factor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Done Right: Using the SLiDapp Application.

Due to its flexibility and statistical properties, bi-factor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (bi-factor ESEM) has become an often-recommended tool in psychometrics. Unfortunately, most recent methods for approximating these structures, such as the SLiD algorithm, are not available in the leading software for performing ESEM (i.e., Mplus). To resolve this issue, we present a novel, user-friendly Shiny application for integrating the SLiD algorithm in bi-factor ESEM estimation in Mplus. Thus, a two-stage framework for conducting SLiD-based bi-factor ESEM in Mplus was developed. This approach was presented in a step-by-step guide for applied researchers, showing the utility of the developed SLiDApp application. Using data from the Open-Source Psychometrics Project (N = 2495), we conducted a bi-factor ESEM exploration of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale. We studied whether bi-factor modelling was appropriate and if both general and group factors were related to each personality trait. The application of the SLiD algorithm provided unique information regarding this factor structure and its ESEM structural parameters. The results illustrated the usefulness and validity of SLiD-based bi-factor ESEM, and how the proposed Shiny app could make it eaiser for applied researchers to use these methods.

The Metacognitive Processes of Decentering Scale: Development and initial validation of trait and state versions.

The ability to decenter from internal experiences is important for mental health. Consequently, improving decentering is a common therapeutic target, particularly for mindfulness-based interventions. However, extant decentering measures are limited as they fail to directly assess all 3 metacognitive processes recently theorized to subserve decentering. We thus conducted 4 studies to develop and test the Metacognitive Processes of Decentering-Trait (MPoD-t) and State (MPoD-s) scales. Consistent with the metacognitive processes model, exploratory factor analysis (N = 355) and then bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (N = 275) indicated the MPoD-t was composed of three independent yet interrelated lower-order factors, metaawareness, (dis)identification with internal experience, and (non)reactivity to internal experience, which subserved an emergent, higher-order, decentering factor. We next found evidence of the MPoD-t's convergent validity; as well as known-groups criterion validity, wherein mindfulness practitioners reported higher MPoD-t scores than nonpractitioners. Item response theory analyses were then used to identify a subset of 3 MPoD-t items for the MPoD-s. Finally, we found evidence that the MPoD-s was sensitive to changes in state decentering following a brief mindfulness induction relative to an active control condition; and that MPoD-s changes mediated the effect of mindfulness on levels of pain and related outcomes among a sample of preoperative surgery patients (N = 82). These studies indicate the trait and state versions of the MPoD may prove useful for the study of decentering and its constituent metacognitive processes. As such, the MPoD may help advance our understanding of how the metacognitive processes of decentering support mental health and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Occupational Depression Inventory: A new tool for clinicians and epidemiologists

BackgroundDepressive symptoms induced by insurmountable job stress and sick leave for mental health reasons have become a focal concern among occupational health specialists. The present study introduces the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI), a measure designed to quantify the severity of work-attributed depressive symptoms and establish provisional diagnoses of job-ascribed depression. The ODI comprises nine symptom items and a subsidiary question assessing turnover intention. MethodsA total of 2254 employed individuals were recruited in the U.S., New Zealand, and France. We examined the psychometric and structural properties of the ODI as well as the nomological network of work-attributed depressive symptoms. We adopted an approach centered on exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) bifactor analysis. We developed a diagnostic algorithm for identifying likely cases of job-ascribed depression (SPSS syntax provided). ResultsThe ODI showed strong reliability and high factorial validity. ESEM bifactor analysis indicated that, as intended, the ODI can be used as a unidimensional measure (Explained Common Variance = 0.891). Work-attributed depressive symptoms correlated in the expected direction with our other variables of interest―e.g., job satisfaction, general health status―and were markedly associated with turnover intention. Of our 2254 participants, 7.6% (n = 172) met the criteria for a provisional diagnosis of job-ascribed depression. ConclusionsThis study suggests that the ODI constitutes a sound measure of work-attributed depressive symptoms. The ODI may help occupational health researchers and practitioners identify, track, and treat job-ascribed depression more effectively. ODI-based research may contribute to informing occupational health policies and regulations in the future.

Evidence for a Higher-Order ESEM Structure of ADHD in a Sample of Chinese Children

Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) solutions have been proposed to represent the factor structures of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in recent literature, yet no studies have assessed those structures in Chinese children. The primary aim of this study was to comprehensively examine the factor structures of the Chinese version of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD RS-IV): Home Version. Data on 458 Chinese children aged 3–8 years (boys: 246; 54%) were used to test and compare eleven factor models: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models (one-factor, two-factor and three-factor), second-order CFA model, bifactor CFA models (two and three specific factors), ESEM models (two-factor and three-factor), second-order ESEM model, and bifactor ESEM models (two and three specific factors). The results showed that, overall, ESEM models displayed better fit than CFA models. Specifically, the second-order ESEM model with three first-order factors best represented of the ADHD factor structure in our sample. In addition, measurement invariance testing results showed that scalar invariance was established across gender, age and informant groups. Implications for future research are discussed.