title: Measuring Adolescent Violent Behavior Across Groups: Assessing Measurement Invariance of the Violent Behavior Checklist-Modified.
abstract: Measures of violent behavior are often assumed to function identically across different groups (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity). However, failure to verify measurement invariance can lead to biased cross-group comparisons. The current study examines the measurement invariance of the Violent Behavior Checklist-Modified across genders and race/ethnicities. Using multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, configural and metric invariance are assessed in a sample of racially/ethnically diverse middle and high school students ( N = 4,128) in two rural counties. Results indicate that the Violent Behavior Checklist-Modified has partial measurement invariance across genders and race/ethnicities. Specifically, four out of six items were non-invariant across genders, while one out of six items was non-invariant across race/ethnicities. Findings suggest that the latent factor of violence may be qualitatively different across males and females. Implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: 1 Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Katie L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.affiliation: 2 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Caroline B R
authors.initials: CBR
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: 3 University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Smokowski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D057189:Checklist / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D011594:Psychometrics; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: adolescents; measurement invariance; rural; youth violence