Validation of a Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale: Dimensionality and factorial invariance

Abstract

For a multi-dimensional measure of positive youth development (PYD), its factor structure should be invariant across groups and over time. This study examined the factorial validity of the 44-item short form of the “Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale” (CPYDS-SF) that assesses 15 dimensions of PYD attributes. Using two waves of longitudinal data with a one-year interval in between, this study examined the factor structure of the scale and whether the structure is invariant between gender groups and across time. The data were collected from 3,328 adolescents at Wave 1 and 3,638 adolescents at Wave 2, with a matched sample of 2,905 adolescents (mean age = 12.57 ± 0.72 at Wave 1; 49.54% girls). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 15-factor structure fitted the data well. The findings of invariance tests further supported this structure’s invariance across gender and time, indicating a stable factor structure of CPYDS-SF among Chinese adolescents. These findings suggest that CPYDS-SF can be used to examine gender differences and the longitudinal development of PYD qualities among Chinese adolescents.