Bayesian Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Psychological Capital PCQ-12 Scale

Abstract

Abstract. Psychological Capital (PsyCap) is a key construct in psychological research across the lifespan. Although the 12-item Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12) is among the most used scales to approach its measurement, its factor structure and reliability remain controversial, particularly in samples of adolescents. Data came from a cross-sectional survey administered to 267 Spanish adolescents, 59.9% girls ( Mage = 13.96, SD = 1.56). Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) in Mplus 8.6 were used to compare three competitive models (one factor, four correlated factors, and a second order structure) estimated with Bayesian methods. Although Self-Efficacy, Hope, and Optimism significantly explained their indicators, and their cross-loadings were not statistically significant, Resilience operated differently. We obtained evidence supporting the second-order structure. Also, it becomes clear that the scale has difficulties measuring Resilience in adolescents. Consequently, further research should explore new adaptations or alternative measures to overcome these limitations when researching adolescents.

A Psychometric Study of the Prosocial Behavior Scale: Differential Item Functioning by Gender

“…Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12) [ 64 ]. This questionnaire was recently adapted and validated for Spanish adolescent samples by Tomás et al [ 65 ]. It measures the four subdimensions of psychological capital in the educational context: self-efficacy (three items), hope (four items), resilience (three items), and optimism (two items).…”

“…An example item is “I usually take stressful things at school in stride”. Following Tomás et al’s [ 65 ] adaptation, we used a 5-point Likert response format, ranging from 1—strongly disagree to 5—strongly agree. The four-factor structure with a second-order factor fits adequately our data: χ 2 (50) = 269.181, p < 0.001, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.936, Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.095 90%CI [0.084–0.106], and Standardized Root Mean Squared Residual (SRMR) = 0.052.…”

Academic psychological capital questionnaire 12 (APCQ-12): psychometric validity and measurement invariance in a Chilean sample of high school students

“…In recent years, psychological capital (PsyCap) -a core construct from positive organizational behavior research is integrated by four psychological resources: hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism (acronym HERO resources)-has received increasing attention in the academic context given its relevance in predicting student performance and well-being (e.g., Datu et al, 2016;King and Caleon, 2021;Ramírez-Pérez, 2022;Tomás et al, 2022;Carmona-Halty et al, 2022a). Academic PsyCap describes those students who: 1) persevere in the pursuit of academic goals and, if necessary, redirect the pathways leading to the successful completion of those goals (i.e., are hopeful); 2) possess the confidence to take on challenging academic tasks and exert the effort necessary to succeed at them (i.e., are efficacious or self-efficacious); 3) tolerate and bounce back in adverse or problematic academic circumstances (i.e., they are resilient); and 4) make positive attributions related to past, current, and future academic success experiences (i.e., they are optimistic; Martínez et al, 2021).…”

“…Since the appearance of the APCQ-12, it is possible to note a growing interest in Spanish-speaking countries in the study of academic PsyCap, preferentially among samples of undergraduate university students (e.g., Ortega-Maldonado and Salanova, 2018;Martínez et al, 2021;Sánchez-Cardona et al, 2021;Ramírez-Pérez, 2022;López-Guerra et al, 2023). Despite these valuable efforts, knowledge about PsyCap in Spanish-speaking countries is still in its infancy, and more research efforts are required to have conclusive results by considering other educational groups, such as secondary education (e.g., Schönfeld and Mesurado, 2020;Carmona-Halty et al, 2021;Tomás et al, 2022). In this line, to our knowledge, only two studies have addressed the psychometric properties of the APCQ-12 in a population of Spanish-speaking secondary students.…”

Estudio de la relación entre la práctica de actividad física y calidad de vida

“…Existe evidencia empírica de la validez estructural del AF5. Además del estudio inicial de la escala, otros estudios, utilizando análisis factoriales exploratorios (por ejemplo, Cerrato et al, 2003) y confirmatorios (Elosua y Muñiz, 2010;García et al, 2006;Murgui et al, 2012;Tomás y Oliver, 2004), apoyan la estructura pentafactorial de la escala. Un estudio de validación de la versión inglesa de la escala con una muestra de 624 estudiantes corrobora los estudios previos que respaldaban el modelo de cinco factores del AF5 .…”