Testing Configural, Metric, Scalar, and Latent Mean Invariance Across Genders in Sociotropy and Autonomy Using a Non-Western Sample

Abstract

The Personal Style Inventory (PSI) was developed to assess individuals’ levels of sociotropy and autonomy, two personality characteristics considered to be associated with increased vulnerability to depression. This study used the approach of latent means analysis (LMA) within the framework of structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the factor structure and gender differences associated with the PSI in a sample of Korean undergraduates ( N = 508). Results of the confirmatory factor analysis are consistent with previous work and support the cross-cultural stability of the PSI factor structure. However, in contrast to previous research, results of the LMA showed women to have higher scores than men on sociotropy and autonomy dimensions, raising the possibility of cross-cultural differences in the interaction between these personality styles and vulnerability to depression.