Assessing measurement invariance of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II among Hispanics, African Americans, and European Americans.

Abstract

This study tested the cross-cultural validity of scores on the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II (PGIS-II; Robitschek et al., 2012) with Hispanic, African American, and European American community samples. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were performed on data from 218 Hispanics, 129 African Americans, and 552 European Americans to examine measurement equivalence among these groups. Measurement invariance of the PGIS-II was established with the original 4 factors of readiness for change, planfulness, using resources, and intentional behavior. These findings suggest the PGIS-II can be administered across these groups and provide meaningful comparisons and interpretations. All samples yielded good internal consistency estimates. The African American sample reported higher means than Hispanic and European American samples for all subscale and total mean scores, and Hispanics scored higher in planfulness, readiness for change, and total score than European Americans, indicating potential cultural factors influencing the scores. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Racism as a Determinant of Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…There were no significant differences between African Americans and either European or Native Americans. These findings could suggest that African (and possibly Native) Americans are more resilient to racism than other minority groups [ 415 ]. It is also possible that, as may be the case for European Americans [ 416 ], their experiences are qualitatively distinct from other minority groups.…”

Strengthening personal growth: The effects of a strengths intervention on personal growth initiative

“…As such, using resources is an externally focused process, in contrast to the other three PGI sub‐factors which refer to internal processes (Robitschek et al ., ). In fact, prior research has repeatedly pinpointed using resources as the least typical of the four PGI factors, displaying low correlations with the other sub‐factors and with measures of psychological functioning (Robitschek et al ., ; Shigemoto, Thoen, Robitschek, & Ashton, ; Weigold et al ., ). It has been suggested that using resources may be less central to the overall growth process, because (1) not all growth processes require external assistance (Shigemoto et al ., ), (2) individuals in individualistic cultures may value independence and self‐reliance over interdependence when it comes to their personal growth (Robitschek et al ., ), and because (3) resources might not always be available and/or trusted which forces individual to rely on internal growth mechanisms (Robitschek et al ., ; Weigold et al ., ).…”

Does academic performance influence personal growth initiative? An institutional-based study among undergraduate dental students

“…According to Shigemoto et al ,[ 19 ] PGI includes cognitive and behavioral skills. Cognitive skills are recognized by self-efficacy, beliefs, attitudes, and values.…”