title: A measurement invariance examination of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a Southern sample: differential item functioning between African American and Caucasian youth.
abstract: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a large sample of youth from the Southern United States. The authors aimed to determine (a) if the established six-factor Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale structure could be replicated in this Southern sample and (b) if scores were associated with measurement invariance across African American and Caucasian youth representative of youth from this region of the United States. The established six-factor model evidenced the best fit in comparison to one-, two-, and five-factor models in the total sample (N = 12,695), as well as in the African American (n = 4,906) and Caucasian (n = 6,667) subsamples. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis also supported measurement invariance across African American and Caucasian youth at the levels of equal factor structure and equal factor loadings. Noninvariant item intercepts were identified, however, indicating differential functioning for a subset of items. Clinical and measurement implications of these findings are discussed and new norms are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA. lrtrent@olemiss.edu
authors.forename: Lindsay Rae
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Trent
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ebesutani
authors.forename: Chelsea M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ale
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heiden
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Hight
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Damon
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008922:Mississippi; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*