scholarly journals Range Restriction affects Factor Analysis: Normality, Estimation, Fit, Loadings, and Reliability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Franco-Martínez ◽  
Jesús M. Alvarado ◽  
Miguel A. Sorrel

A sample suffers range restriction (RR) when its variance is reduced comparing to its population variance and, in turn, it fails representing such population. If the RR occurs over the latent factor, not directly over the observed variable, the researcher deals with an indirect RR, common when using convenience samples. This work explores how this problem affects different outputs of the factor analysis: multivariate normality (MVN), estimation process, goodness-of-fit, recovery of factor loadings, and reliability. In doing so, a Monte Carlo study was conducted. Data were generated following the linear selective sampling model, simulating tests varying their sample size (N = 200 and 500 cases), test size (J = 6, 12, 18, 24 items), loading size (L = .50, .70, and .90) and restriction size (from R = 1, .90, .80, and so on till .10 selection ratio). Our results systematically suggest that an interaction between decreasing the loading size and increasing the restriction size affects the MVN assessment, obstructs the estimation process, and leads to an underestimation of the factor loadings and reliability. However, most of the MVN tests and most of the fit indices employed were nonsensitive to the RR problem. We provide some recommendations to applied researchers.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annett Lotzin ◽  
Ronja Ketelsen ◽  
Irina Zrnic ◽  
Brigitte Lueger-Schuster ◽  
Maria Böttche ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: This study aimed to assess the factorial validity and reliability of the Pandemic Stressor Scale (PaSS), a new measure to assess the severity of distress for different stressors relevant during a pandemic or epidemic. Methods: The PaSS was administered in N = 2760 German participants. Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract factors. The factor structure obtained in the German sample was examined in N = 1021 Austrian participants using confirmatory factor analysis. χ², RMSEA, SRMR, CFI, TLI were assessed as global goodness of fit indices for two models (Model 1: nine-factor model; Model 2: nine-factor model combined with a second-order general factor). We additionally assessed factor loadings, communalities, factor reliability, discriminant validity as local fit indices. Internal consistency, item discrimination, and item difficulty were assessed as additional test quality criteria.Results: The results of the exploratory factor analysis suggested a nine-factor solution with factor loadings accounting for 50.4% of the total variance (Factor 1 ‘Problems with Childcare’, Factor 2 ‘Work-related Problems’, Factor 3 ‘Restricted Face-to-Face Contact’, Factor 4 ‘Burden of Infection ‘, Factor 5 ‘Crisis Management and Communication’, Factor 6 ‘Difficult Housing Condition’, Factor 7 ‘Fear of Infection’, Factor 8 ‘Restricted Access to Resources’, Factor 9 ‘Restricted Activity’). The confirmatory factor analysis showed a sufficient global fit for both tested models (Model 1: χ² (369, N =1021) = 1443.28, p < .001, RMSEA = .053, SRMR = .055, CFI = .919, TLI = .904; Model 2: χ² (396, N = 1021) = 1948.51, p < .001, RMSEA = .062, SRMR = .074, CFI = .883, TLI = .871). The results of the chi-square difference test indicated a significantly better model-fit of Model 1 compared to Model 2 (∆χ² (27, N = 1021) = 505.23, p < .001). Local goodness of fit indices were comparable for both tested models. We found good factor reliabilities for all factors and moderate to large factor loadings of the items as indicators. In Model 2, four first-order factors showed small factor loadings on the second-order general factor. Conclusion: The Pandemic Stressor Scale showed sufficient factorial validity for the nine measured domains of stressors during the current COVID-19 pandemic.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Roberto Nuevo ◽  
Andrés Losada ◽  
María Márquez-González ◽  
Cecilia Peñacoba

The Worry Domains Questionnaire was proposed as a measure of both pathological and nonpathological worry, and assesses the frequency of worrying about five different domains: relationships, lack of confidence, aimless future, work, and financial. The present study analyzed the factor structure of the long and short forms of the WDQ (WDQ and WDQ-SF, respectively) through confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 262 students (M age = 21.8; SD = 2.6; 86.3% females). While the goodness-of-fit indices did not provide support for the WDQ, good fit indices were found for the WDQ-SF. Furthermore, no source of misspecification was identified, thus, supporting the factorial validity of the WDQ-SF scale. Significant positive correlations between the WDQ-SF and its subscales with worry (PSWQ), anxiety (STAI-T), and depression (BDI) were found. The internal consistency was good for the total scale and for the subscales. This work provides support for the use of the WDQ-SF, and potential uses for research and clinical purposes are discussed.


2022 ◽  
pp. 003329412110636
Author(s):  
Bruno Faustino

The presence of dysfunctional cognitions about how individuals see themselves and others is a hallmark of psychopathology. The Brief Core Schemas Scale (BCSS) was developed to evaluate adaptive and dysfunctional beliefs about the self and others. This study describes the first psychometric analysis of the BCSS in the Portuguese population. Participants were recruited from community ( N = 320, Mage=27.31, DP = 12.75). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the BCSS factorial structure. Four-factor model revealed moderate to adequate goodness-of-fit indices (χ2/df = 717.1, (246) p = .01; SRMR = .044; RMSEA = .077; CFI/TLI < .90). Negative views of the self and others correlated positively with early maladaptive schemas, distress, and symptomatology and correlated negatively with psychological well-being. An inversed correlational pattern was found with the positive views of the self and others. Despite the model's moderate adherence to the data, results suggest that the BCSS may be an asset in the assessment of dysfunctional and adaptive cognitions about the self and others. Further analysis is required to deepen the psychometric properties of the BCSS in the Portuguese population.


Author(s):  
Bruno José Nievas Soriano ◽  
Sonia García Duarte ◽  
Ana María Fernández Alonso ◽  
Antonio Bonillo Perales ◽  
Tesifón Parrón Carreño

There is a need for health professionals to provide parents with not only evidence-based child health websites but also instruments to evaluate them. The main aim of this research was to develop a questionnaire for measuring users’ evaluation of the usability, utility, confidence, the well-child section, and the accessibility of a Spanish pediatric eHealth website for parents. We further sought to evaluate the content validity and psychometric reliability of the instrument. A content validation study by expert review was performed, and the questionnaire was pilot tested. Psychometric analyses were used to establish scales through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability studies were performed using Cronbach’s alpha and two split-half methods. The content validation of the questionnaire by experts was considered as excellent. The pilot web survey was completed by 516 participants. The exploratory factor analysis excluded 27 of the 41 qualitative initial items. The confirmatory factor analysis of the resultant 14-item questionnaire confirmed the five initial domains detected in the exploratory confirmatory analysis. The goodness of fit for the competing models was established through fit indices and confirmed the previously established domains. Adequate internal consistency was found for each of the subscales as well as the overall scale.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-185
Author(s):  
Muayyad M. Ahmad ◽  
Abdulkarim Alzayyat ◽  
Ekhlas Al-Gamal

Purpose:To examine the psychometric properties of the Coping Behavior Inventory (CBI) among Arab students in Jordanian universities.Methods:A stratified random sampling technique was used to select the universities and classes from each university. The total sample size was 587 students recruited from seven universities during the academic year 2015. The structure of the CBI was analyzed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Statistical Package for Social Science and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS software. EFA for the original CBI showed poor factors structure with low reliabilities.Results:EFA and CFA revealed the modified 15-item and 3-factor scale (Problem Solving, Avoidance, Stay Optimistic), with high goodness of fit indices and strong items loading.Conclusion:The use of the modified version of CBI with students at the university level is recommended.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Wahyu Widhiarso

Literatures in the field of psychometrics recommend researchers to employvarious of methods on measuring individual attributes. Ideally,each methods are complementary and measuresthe construct designed to be measured. However, some problems arise when among the methods is unique and unrelated to the construct being measured. The uniqueness of method can lead what is called the method effect. In testing construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis, the emergence of this effect tend to reducing the goodness of fit indices of the model. There are many ways to solve these problem, one of themis controling the method effects and accommodate it to the model. This paper introduces how to accommodate method effecton the confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling. In the application section, author identify the emergence of method effects due to the differences item writing direction (favorable-unfavorable). The analysis showed that method effectemerge from different writing direction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Koohi ◽  
Parisa Amiri ◽  
Yadollah Mehrabi ◽  
Mehrdad Karimi ◽  
Davood Khalili

Abstract Background Studies on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) can be valuable for public health to help to develop targeted educational programs and assess the effectiveness of intervention programs. The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the validity and reliability of a questionnaire on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), their risk factors, and symptoms among an Iranian general population. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on an Iranian population older than 20 years referred to some of Tehran’s healthcare centers. An initial 62-item questionnaire was developed, and the face, content, and construct validities were assessed. Results In all, 300 adults with a mean age (SD) of 39.79 (12.1) years participated in this study. Based on the results of the content validity, a questionnaire with 30 essential items was designed. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor subscale with 29 finalized items (CVD-KAP29), and acceptable goodness of fit indices was demonstrated by confirmatory factor analysis. The Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s ω coefficients were higher than 0.60 for all domains except the nutrition and smoking subscales. Conclusions Results provided evidence of the validity of the CVD-KAP29 for KAP studies for cardiovascular diseases in the general population.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Ghafouri ◽  
Abbas Abdollahi ◽  
Maryam Hagi ◽  
Ali Ganbari ◽  
Aleiia J.N. Asmundson

Abstract Background: The Salzburg Emotional Eating Scale (SEES) and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) are self-reported measures developed to evaluate emotional eating in adults in Western countries. To date, the psychometric properties of the SEES and the EEQ have not been studied among Iranian adults. The aim of the current study is to translate the SEES and the EEQ from English to Persian and examine the psychometric properties of the SEES and EEQ.Method: The sample of this study comprised of 489 Iranian adults who completed the SEES and the EEQ questionnaires online. Results: Findings of face, content, and construct validity tests confirmed that the SEES and the EEQ had acceptable validity and appropriate reliability. The results from confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable goodness-of-fit indices for two measures. Conclusion: Results of Average Variance Extracted, Construct Reliability, and goodness-of-fit indices showed that the SEES was better for evaluating emotional eating among Iranian adults than the EEQ.


Author(s):  
Sharefa Murad, Et. al.

The increase in development and progress develops with the speed of the technology wheel and its impact on consumer satisfaction. Reasonably the electronic retail trade has the largest share. This research provides an abundant experience on the Jordanian consumer satisfaction with E- retail trade-in particular after customs facilities. The empirical study consists of 521 questionnaires and analysing the outputs, through which the sites are evaluated on more than one side, to come out with the most important strengths and weak points of the e-retail trade. Each question in the questionnaire is evaluated and assigned a unique loading factor. Four major evaluation metrics have been adopted to investigate the customer’s thoughts on E-retail which includes Reliability, Design, Process, and safety. In addition, factor analysis of the Correlation Matrix with the samples sequence along with Goodness-of-fit indices have been carried out for the experimentation. The obtained insights from the empirical study are also validated using confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, to presenting problems with high rates to solve them.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 31E-45E
Author(s):  
Muder Alkrisat ◽  
Manal Alatrash

Background: Despite its popularity, the psychometric properties of the Extended Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) in working adults are yet to be evaluated in different settings. Methods: This study examined the ENSS in acute care settings among licensed nurses through a questionnaire survey. The sample responses were examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: A response rate of 37% was achieved; 199 licensed nurses completed the questionnaire. Workplace stress was found to have factorial structures similar to those in the previous studies that had different samples. In this sample, all subfactors had satisfactory coefficients ranged between .58 and .89. The goodness of fit indices met the usual criteria. The reliability ranged between .64 and .95. Conclusions: The ENSS showed a stable structure with reasonable internal consistency and construct validity.


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