Cross-Ethnic Measurement Equivalence of the Children’s Depression Inventory Among Youth in Foster Care

Previous research has indicated differences in the presentation and measurement of depressive symptoms across ethnic groups. In the current study, we examined the factor structure of the Children’s Depression Inventory in an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents in foster care (n = 346; Mage = 13...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of emotional and behavioral disorders Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 144 - 155
Main Authors Gonzales-Backen, Melinda A., Holcomb, Jamila E., McWey, Lenore M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2020
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Adolescents
African Americans
Ethnic groups
Ethnicity
Factor structures
Foster care
Foster children
Hispanic Americans
Home health care
Measurement
Measures
Mental depression
Minority & ethnic groups
Minority groups
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Racial differences
Teenagers
Youth
Children’s Depression Inventory
ethnicity
adolescents
measurement equivalence
foster care
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Summary:Previous research has indicated differences in the presentation and measurement of depressive symptoms across ethnic groups. In the current study, we examined the factor structure of the Children’s Depression Inventory in an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents in foster care (n = 346; Mage = 13.13 years, SD = 2.18 years) and examined the configural invariance of the measure across ethnic groups. Findings indicated a two-factor structure in the total sample. Furthermore, configural invariance was not supported, in that unique factor structures emerged for African American, White, and Hispanic subsamples. Findings hold implications for research and practice involving the assessment of depressive symptoms among youth in out-of-home care and among ethnic minority adolescents.
ISSN:1063-4266
1538-4799
DOI:10.1177/1063426619838539