Factorial validity and measurement invariance of the uncertainty response scale

Abstract

This study presents the adaptation of the Uncertainty Response Scale (Greco & Roger, Pers. Individ. Differ, 31:519-534, 2001) to Portuguese. This instrument was administered to a non-clinical community sample composed of 1596 students and professionals, allowing a thorough validity and invariance analysis by randomly dividing participants into three subsamples to perform: an exploratory factor analysis (sample one: N = 512); a preliminary confirmatory factor analysis to identify the final solution for the scale (sample two: N = 543); and the confirmatory factor analysis (sample three: N = 541). Samples two and three were also used for multi-group analysis to assess measurement invariance, invariance across gender, sociocultural levels, and students versus active professionals. Results showed the scale reflects the original factorial structure, as well as good internal consistency and overall good psychometric qualities. Invariance results across groups reached structural invariance which provides a confident invariance measurement for this scale, while invariance across gender and sociocultural levels reached metric invariance. Accordingly, differences between these groups were explored, by comparing means with multi-group analysis to establish the scale's sensitivity toward social vulnerability, by demonstrating the existence of statistically significant differences regarding gender and sociocultural levels on how individuals cope with uncertainty, specifically in terms of emotional strategies, as a self-defeating strategy. Thus, females scored higher on emotional uncertainty, as well as low sociocultural levels, compared with higher ones. Therefore, it is proposed that this scale could be a sound alternative to explore strategies for coping with uncertainty, when considering social, economic, or other environmental circumstances that may affect them.

Factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Psychosocial Uncertainty Scale

“…The effects of sociodemographic variables (gender, SCL, group of origin) that were found reinforce the thesis that social contexts create uncertainty that is perceived and dealt with differently by people, according to their social, economic and cultural circumstances. Considering that previous research found these same differences for gender and SCL concerning emotional uncertainty with the URS (Lucas Casanova et al, 2019 ), these results suggest that the use of emotional coping strategies should be understood as a consequence of living circumstances and not simply as a psychological trait and, therefore, as a consequence of socially created uncertainty and as a self-defeating strategy people are led to use when they are powerless towards uncertainty. So, these scales offer the opportunity to explore new forms of uncertainty in Western contemporary societies and how they constrain people’s lives.…”

“…The hypothesis that orients these analyses is that socially vulnerable groups (in this case, women and individuals from lower SCL) experience higher levels of psychosocial uncertainty in all its dimensions: in the context of work, social relationships and community life, as well as self-defeating beliefs on the possibility to cope with uncertainty, similarly to what was found in terms of adoption of emotional coping strategies towards uncertainty, usually considered in the literature to be maladaptive (Lucas Casanova et al, 2019), thus exploring the scale's concurrent validity. We do not expect differences in terms of psychosocial uncertainty between students and professionals.…”

“…Furthermore, psychosocial uncertainty's consequences within work proved to be the variable that better explains emotional uncertainty. To interpret this result, it is important to consider previous results on emotional uncertainty as being significantly different among social groups (Lucas Casanova et al, 2019), showing that individuals from lower SCL would present higher levels of emotional uncertainty, as well as women. Together, these results lend evidence to Marris' analyses of an unequal distribution of uncertainty in Western societies, namely within work environments.…”

“…Uncertainty Response Scale (URS, Greco & Roger, 2001) Composed of 25 items in its Portuguese version, it contains three factors: emotional uncertainty with 11 items (perceiving uncertainty as a stressor and responding to it with anxiety and sadness -α = .91); cognitive uncertainty with 6 items (planning, clarifying and gathering information as a personal need in order to control uncertainty -α = .82.) and desire for change with 8 items (reflecting a sense of enjoyment and desire in what concerns change and unexpectedness -α = .88) (Lucas Casanova et al, 2019).…”

Occupational engagement scale-student: Psychometric properties in Turkish university students

“…The sample size was modest (Koh & Zumbo, 2008), and testing invariance across gender and other groupings was not possible. There is a need to examine invariance in larger samples (Casanova et al., 2019; Grevenstein, 2020; Leach et al., 2020). As female and male students have different expectations regarding career goals and career prospects (Özyürek, 2001; Yılmaz et al., 2012), a future research might also evaluate gender differences.…”