Poster Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

Psychological Capital Among US And Chilean Employees: Measurement Invariance And Implications For Cross-Cultural Assessment (#754)

Sean PM Rice 1 , Tahira M Probst 1 , Sergio López Bohle 2
  1. Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA, United States
  2. Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile

Background: Psychological Capital (PsyCap) has gained increasing attention from international positive organizational behavior researchers due to its potential malleability and consistent effects on practical workplace outcomes (e.g., job performance). However, research suggests that existing measures of PsyCap may not be invariant across cultures and languages. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the measurement equivalence of the PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) between employees in the US (English-speaking) and Chile (Spanish-speaking) in order to determine its interpretation comparability between these distinct cultures. Methods: The PCQ was administered online via MTurk to employees from the US (n=289) and via Qualtrics to employed MBA students from Chile (n=264). Measurement invariance was assessed using a second-order multiple group confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Configural (CFI=.911), metric (ΔCFI=-.003), and partial scalar invariance (ΔCFI=-.01) was supported, with minor model adjustments. Correlations among each lower-order factor (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) were also invariant (ΔCFI=-.003). Finally, Chilean employees reported significantly higher levels of PsyCap than US workers (Cohen’s d=.54). Conclusions: Our results provide preliminary support for invariance of the PCQ and indicate that PsyCap can be reliably compared between US and Chilean employees. Further study is needed to determine the generalizability of this equivalence across other cultures and languages.