Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-wq484 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T06:05:58.042Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessing the Measurement Invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire–5 in Chinese and American Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2021

Yu Ling ,
Qin Yang ,
Yifang Zeng  and
E. Scott Huebner
Yu Ling*
Affiliation:
Hunan Normal University (China)
Qin Yang
Affiliation:
No.3 Middle School of Yongzhou (China)
Yifang Zeng
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University (US)
E. Scott Huebner
Affiliation:
University of South Carolina (US)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Yu Ling. Hunan Normal University. 410081Changsha (China). E-mail: ponylingyu17@aliyun.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Given the possibility of cultural differences in the meaning and levels of gratitude among children, we evaluated the measurement invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire–5 (GQ–5) and differences in latent means across adolescents from two distinct cultures, China and America. Data were obtained from 1,991 Chinese and 1,685 American adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the factor structure and the measurement equivalence across Chinese and American adolescents. The Cronbach’s alpha and Item-total Correlations of the GQ–5 were also evaluated. Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the expected one-factor structure. Also, a series of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses supported full configural invariance, full metric invariance, and partial scalar invariance between the two groups. Furthermore, the findings suggested that the GQ–5 is suitable for conducting mean level comparisons. The subsequent comparison of latent means revealed that the Chinese adolescents reported significantly lower gratitude than American adolescents.

Keywords

adolescentcultural differencegratitudeGratitude Questionnaire–5measurement invariance
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 24 , 2021 , e17
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Funding Statement: This research was supported by the Scientific Research Foundation of Hunan Provincial Education Department (Grant No. 19A315) awarded to Dr. Yu Ling.

Conflict of Interest: None.

References

Alarcón, R., & Morales de Isasi, C. (2012). Relaciones entre gratitud y variables de personalidad [Relationship between gratitude and personality variables]. Acta de Investigación Psicológica, 2(2), 699–712. http://doi.org/10.22201/fpsi.20074719e.2012.2.183CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernabé-Valero, G., García-Alandete, J., & Gallego-Pérez, J. F. (2014). Construcción de un cuestionario para la evaluación de la gratitud: El Cuestionario de Gratitud–20 ítems (G–20) [Construction of a questionnaire for the evaluation of gratitude: The Gratitude Questionnaire – 20 items (G–20)]. Anales de Psicología/Annals of Psychology, 30(1), 278–286.Google Scholar
Bono, G., & Froh, J. (2009). Gratitude in school: Benefits to students and schools. In Furlong, M. J., Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S., (Eds.) Handbook of positive psychology in schools (pp. 95–106). Routledge.Google Scholar
Byrne, B. M., & van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2010). Testing for measurement and structural equivalence in large-scale cross-cultural studies: Addressing the issue of nonequivalence. International Journal of Testing, 10(2), 107–132. http://doi.org/10.1080/15305051003637306CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, L. H., Chen, M.-Y., Kee, Y. H., & Tsai, Y.-M. (2009). Validation of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ) in Taiwanese undergraduate students. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10(6), Article 655. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-008-9112-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheung, F. M., Cheung, S. F., Leung, K., Ward, C., & Leong, F (2003). Clinical validation of the chinese personality assessment inventory. Psychological Assessment, 15(1), 89–100. http://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.15.1.89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 9(2), 233–255. http://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A. B. (2006). On gratitude. Social Justice Research, 19(2), 254–276. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-006-0005-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corona, K., Senft, N., Campos, B., Chen, C., Shiota, M., & Chentsova-Dutton, Y. E. (2020). Ethnic variation in gratitude and well-being. Emotion, 20, 518–524. http://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000582CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Datu, J. A. D. (2014). Forgiveness, gratitude and subjective well-being among Filipino adolescents. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(3), 262–273. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9205-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Datu, J. A. D., & Mateo, N. J. (2015). Gratitude and life satisfaction among Filipino adolescents: The mediating role of meaning in life. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 37(2), 198–206. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-015-9238-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Froh, J. J., Fan, J., Emmons, R. A., Bono, G., Huebner, E. S., & Watkins, P. (2011). Measuring gratitude in youth: Assessing the psychometric properties of adult gratitude scales in children and adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 23(2), 311. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0021590CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilman, R., Huebner, E. S., & Furlong, M. J. (2014). Toward a science and practice of positive psychology in schools: A conceptual framework. In Furlong, M. J., Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (Eds.) Handbook of positive psychology in schools (pp. 11–19). Routledge.Google Scholar
Gregorich, S. E. (2006). Do self-report instruments allow meaningful comparisons across diverse population groups? Testing measurement invariance using the confirmatory factor analysis framework. Medical Care, 44(11), S78–S94. http://doi.org/10.1097/01.mlr.0000245454.12228.8fCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horn, J. L., & Mcardle, J. J. (1992). A practical and theoretical guide to measurement invariance in aging research. Experimental Aging Research, 18(3–4), 117–144. http://doi.org/10.1080/03610739208253916CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. http://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kağıtçıbaşı, Ç. (2017). Family, self, and human development across cultures: Theory and applications. Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karl, G. (1996). LISREL 8: User’s reference guide. Chicago Scientific Software International.Google Scholar
Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., & Stillman, T. F. (2012). Gratitude and depressive symptoms: The role of positive reframing and positive emotion. Cognition & Emotion, 26(4), 615–633. http://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2011.595393CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., Stillman, T. F., & Dean, L. R. (2009). More gratitude, less materialism: The mediating role of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1), 32–42. http://doi.org/10.1080/17439760802216311CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langer, Á. I., Ulloa, V. G., Aguilar-Parra, J. M., Araya-Véliz, C., & Brito, G. (2016). Validation of a Spanish translation of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ–6) with a Chilean sample of adults and high schoolers. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 14(1), Article 53. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-016-0450-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Layous, K., Lee, H., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). Culture matters when designing a successful happiness-increasing activity: a comparison of the United States and south Korea. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(8), 1294–1303. http://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113487591CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liang, Y. (2017). Children’s expressions of gratitude and their relations with parental values and parenting: Insights from China and the United States [Doctoral dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro]. NC Docks. http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Liang_uncg_0154D_12350.pdfGoogle Scholar
Magno, C., & Orillosa, J. (2012). Gratitude and achievement emotions. Phillipines Journal of Counseling Psychology, 14(1), 29–43.Google Scholar
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253. http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mccullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J.-A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 82(1), 112–127. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.1.112CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mccullough, M. E., Kilpatrick, S. D., Emmons, R. A., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 127(2), 249–266. http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mccullough, M. E., Tsang, J. A., & Emmons, R. A. (2004). Gratitude in intermediate affective terrain: links of grateful moods to individual differences and daily emotional experience. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 86(2), 295–309. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.295CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raftery, A. E. (1995). Bayesian model selection in social research. Sociological Methodology, 25, 111–163. https://doi.org/10.2307/271063CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruby, M. B., Falk, C. F., Heine, S. J., Villa, C., & Silberstein, O. (2012). Not all collectivisms are equal: Opposing preferences for ideal affect between East Asians and Mexicans. Emotion, 12(6), 1206–1209. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0029118CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (2001). A scaled difference chi-square test statistic for moment structure analysis. Psychometrika, 66(4), 507–514. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296192CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sinha, J. B. P. (2014). Collectivism and individualism. In Sinha, J. B. P. (Ed.), Psycho-social analysis of the Indian mindset (pp. 27–51). Springer.Google Scholar
Siskind, J. (1992). The invention of Thanksgiving: A ritual of American nationality. Critique of Anthropology, 12(2), 167–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308275X9201200205CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M., & Baumgartner, H. (1998). Assessing measurement invariance in cross-national consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(1), 78–107. https://doi.org/10.1086/209528CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steenkamp, J.E.M. & Baumgartner, H. (1998), Assessing measurement invariance in cross-national consumer research, Journal of Consumer Research, 25(1), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1086/209528CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, J., Dunne, M. P., & Hou, X.-Y. (2012). Academic stress among adolescents in China. Australasian Epidemiologist, 19(1), 9–12.Google Scholar
Tian, L., Du, M., & Huebner, E. S. (2015). The effect of gratitude on elementary school students’ subjective well-being in schools: The mediating role of prosocial behavior. Social Indicators Research, 122(3), 887–904. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0712-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C. (1989). The self and social behavior in differing cultural contexts. Psychological Review, 96(3), 506–520. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.96.3.506CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsaousis, I., & Kazi, S. (2013). Factorial invariance and latent mean differences of scores on trait emotional intelligence across gender and age. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(2), 169–173. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.08.016CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valdez, J. P. M., & Chu, S. K. W. (2020). Examining the psychometric validity of the five-item gratitude questionnaire: An item-response theory approach. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38, 529–536. http://doi.org/10.1177/0734282918816542CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valdez, J. P. M., Yang, W., & Datu, J. A. D. (2017). Validation of the Gratitude Questionnaire in Filipino secondary school students. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 20, E45. http://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2017.51CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van de Vijver, F., & Tanzer, N. K. (2004). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural assessment: An overview. European Review of Applied Psychology, 54(2), 119–135.http://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2003.12.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, D., Wang, Y. C., & Tudge, J. R. H. (2015). Expressions of gratitude in children and adolescents: Insights from China and the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 46(8), 1039–1058. http://doi.org/10.1177/0022022115594140CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watkins, P. C., Woodward, K., Stone, T., & Kolts, R. L. (2003). Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 31(5), 431–451. http://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2003.31.5.431CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, W., Lu, Y., Tan, F., Yao, S., Steca, P., Abela, J. R. Z., & Hankin, B. L. (2012). Assessing measurement invariance of the children’s depression inventory in Chinese and Italian primary school student samples. Assessment, 19(4), 506–516. http://doi.org/10.1177/1073191111421286CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xiangdian, M. (2011). Characteristics of US-Korea’s Thanksgiving Culture and the enlightenment to gratitude education in China [J]. Journal of Zhejiang Shuren University (Humanities and Social Sciences), 11(6), 114–117.Google Scholar
Yokota, K. (2012). The validity of a three-factor model in PPI-R and social dominance orientation in Japanese sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(7), 907–911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.07.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, J. J. (2011). Reciprocal associations between connectedness and autonomy among Korean adolescents: Compatible or antithetical? Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(4), 692–703. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00839.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yüksel, A., & Oguz Duran, N. (2012). Turkish adaptation of the gratitude questionnaire. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 46, 199–215.Google Scholar
Zeng, Y., Ling, Y., Huebner, E. S., He, Y., & Lei, X. (2017). The psychometric properties of the 5-item gratitude questionnaire in Chinese adolescents. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 24(4), 203–210. http://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12372CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, X., Zhu, S., & Ma, G. (2009). Comparison study on basic rights between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and American high school students. China Youth Study, 6, 1–7.Google Scholar
Zhou, H. (2015). Longitudinal effect of parent-child interactions on psychological well-being during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Chinese Journal of Psychology, 57(1), 67–89.Google Scholar