title: Brief report: testing measurement invariance and differences in self-concept between adolescents with and without physical illness or developmental disability.
abstract: The aim of this study was to test for measurement invariance and examine differences in global self-concept between adolescents with and without physical illness or developmental disability. The sample consisted of adolescents 10-19 years who participated in the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (N=8491). Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for measurement invariance. Twenty-three percent (n=1966) of participants had a physical illness or developmental disability. Support was found for strict measurement invariance between groups suggesting adolescents in both groups perceived items similarly, indicating that comparisons between adolescents with and without physical illness or developmental disability are meaningful. Controlling for several sociodemographic characteristics, evidence suggested that self-concept is lower in adolescents with physical illness or developmental disability, β=-0.24, p=0.0005, compared to their healthy peers. Future work should attempt to understand the processes leading to compromised self-concept in adolescents with physical illness or developmental disability.
authors.affiliation: Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Chedoke Site, Central Building, Room 310, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, West 5th Campus, Administration - J Wing, 100 West 5th, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3K7, Canada. Electronic address: ferroma@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Boyle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002170:Canada; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004194:Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D063588:National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescent; Child; Developmental disability; Measurement invariance; Physical disability; Self-concept