Testing the Unity and Diversity of Socioeconomic Status using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Resumen

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a key variable that impacts most domains of psychological functioning. Despite its wide-ranging influence, it is poorly conceptualized and measured in the psychology literature. The main source of debate is whether SES is unidimensional (a general factor or single underlying domain) or multi-dimensional (specific factors for groupings into separate content domains). The current study tested four confirmatory models of SES, using a comprehensive questionnaire (CFL-SES; the Cognitive Flexibility Lab socioeconomic status measure) on a sample of n=531 undergraduates. The CFL-SES presents a novel and practical way to measure objective and subjective psychosocial variables that contribute to variability in individual social and economic standing. Results showed that the best-fitting model was a four-factor bifactor model, with a general SES factor and specific factors (of education/occupation, wealth, psychosocial stressors, and psychosocial supports). The bifactor model fit the data better than a general factor model, a four-factor correlated factors model, and a four-factor second-order model. The key finding from this study is that SES can be conceptualized as a multidimensional hierarchical construct, consisting of a general SES factor that underlies common variance among all measures, as well as specific factors that contribute additional variance beyond that explained by the general factor.

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

LaPlume, A. A. (2024). Testing the Unity and Diversity of Socioeconomic Status using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/td7we