U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Overt and Relational Victimization in Latinos and European Americans: Measurement Equivalence Across Ethnicity, Gender, and Grade Level in Early Adolescent Groups

NCJ Number
229436
Journal
Journal of Early Adolescence Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 171-197
Author(s)
Eric S. Buhs; Meredith McGinley; Michael D. Toland
Date Published
February 2010
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study investigated measurement equivalence in self-report of victimization and exclusion in a sample of European American and Latino early adolescents.
Abstract
This study examined the factorial invariance and construct validity equivalence of a self-report of victimization and exclusion (SVEX) for Latino and European American early adolescent participants (fifth and sixth grades; mean age 11.3). The instrument included an expanded set of relational victimization items that more thoroughly tapped exclusion behaviors relevant to developmental and cross-cultural use. Confirmatory factor analyses techniques demonstrated acceptable (partial) factorial invariance across ethnic groups, fifth and sixth graders, and across gender. Linkages between the SVEX scores, peer nominations, internalizing indices, and three demographic variables also supported construct validity equivalence for the SVEX. Findings supported a two-factor model similar to that of Crick and colleagues (e.g., Crick & Grotpeter, 1995) and suggested that the instrument provided an acceptable level of equivalence for overt and relational victimization forms across these groups. (Published Abstract)