Negative Problems Orientation Questionnaire for Chinese Adolescents: Bifactor Model and Measurement Invariance

Huiwen Xiao; Rongmao Lin; Qiaoling Wu; Saili Shen; Youwei Yan

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.608676

Negative Problems Orientation Questionnaire for Chinese Adolescents: Bifactor Model and Measurement Invariance

Front Psychol. 2020 Dec 10:11:608676. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.608676. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Huiwen Xiao¹, Rongmao Lin¹, Qiaoling Wu¹, Saili Shen^{1

2}, Youwei Yan¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
² Guilin University of Aerospace Technology, Guilin, China.

Abstract

The Negative Problem Orientation Questionnaire (NPOQ) is a widely used tool for assessing negative problem orientation (NPO). However, its construct and measurement invariance has not been adequately tested in adolescents. The present study explored the possible construct of the NPOQ and its measurement invariance in a sample of 754 Chinese adolescents (51.6% girls, all 12-18 years old). The results supported a bifactor model of the NPOQ that consists of a general factor NPO and three domain-specific factors including perceived threat, self-inefficacy, and negative outcome expectancy. A multiple-group CFA indicated that the bifactor model showed strict invariance across gender and age. The general and domain factors showed unique variance in indexes of worry, depression, anxiety, and stress, which supported well incremental validity of them. This study confirms for a bifactor conceptualization of the NPOQ and its measurement invariance across gender and age in Chinese adolescents. Additionally, it is recommended that the total score should be used to assess NPO in Chinese adolescents.

Keywords: China; Negative Problem Orientation Questionnaire; adolescents; bifactor model; measurement invariance; negative problem orientation.