Using Structural Equation Modeling to Test for Differential Reliability and Validity: An Empirical Demonstration

Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques provide us with excellent tools for conducting preliminary evaluation of differential validity and reliability of measurement instruments among a comprehensive selection of population groups. This article demonstrates empirically an SEM technique for group comparison of reliability and validity. Data are from a study of 495 mothers' attitudes toward pregnancy. Proportions of African American and White, married and unmarried, and Medicaid and non-Medicaid mothers provided sample sizes large enough for group comparisons. Four hypotheses are tested: that factor structures are invariant between subgroups, that factor loadings are invariant between subgroups, that measurement error is invariant between subgroups, and that means of the latent variable are invariant between subgroups. Discussion of item distributions, sample size issues, and appropriate estimation techniques is included.