Conceptualizing adverse childhood experiences as a latent factor: Tests of measurement invariance across five racial and ethnic groups |
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Authors: | Todd M Jensen Donte Bernard Paul Lanier |
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Institution: | 1. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA;2. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA |
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Abstract: | Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are conventionally measured using a cumulative-risk index without consideration of distinct measurement properties across racial and ethnic groups. Drawing from the 2018–2020 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 93,759; 48% female; average age: 9.52 years), we assess the measurement invariance of a latent-factor ACE model across five groups: Hispanic children (14%) and non-Hispanic White (73%), Black (7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5%), and American Indian/Alaskan Native (1%) children. Results support configural and full metric invariance across groups. However, several ACE item thresholds differed across groups. Findings highlight the potential utility of a latent factor approach and underscore the need to assess differences across racial and ethnic groups in terms of the optimal conceptualization and measurement of ACEs. |
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