Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale in Spanish (ICES)

Abstract

Background/Objective: The Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale (ICES) is an instrument designed to assess retrospectively parental invalidation experience, according to Marsha Linehan’s definition of invalidation. The main aim of this paper is to determine the factorial structure of the ICES. Three factor structures: Standard Model, Reduced Model, and 2 Factor Model are examined. Also, the association between invalidating experience and borderline symptoms is studied. Method: Data from a non-clinical, volunteer sample of 274 adults was collected. Participants completed 4 surveys: Demographic surveys, Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale (ICES), Borderline Symptoms List (BSL 23), and Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Statistical analyses included confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regression. Results: The results of the analysis presented indicate that the ICES is a reliable instrument, and that the 2 Factor Model is good fit and allows for a broader understanding of invalidation and it’s qualities. The results of the linear regression analysis indicated a mild but significant association between invalidation and BPD symptoms. Internal consistency was acceptable for all levels. Conclusion: The outcome of this study shows that the ICES is a useful instrument that can be used to make progress in uncovering the role of childhood invalidation in BPD.

Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale

“…Moreover, CFAs performed on a clinical sample of individuals with eating disorders (ED) suggested that the data were better represented by the two-factor model as opposed to the one-factor model. The two-factor and one-factor models obtained in our study were aligned with the models obtained in other studies, such as the model obtained in the USA ( 15 ), the CFA used in the French version ( 16 ), the model obtained in the Portuguese version ( 17 ), and the model established in the Spanish version ( 19 ). These studies demonstrate that the ICES factor structure is consistent among Western cultures.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, psychometric properties of the ICES have been assessed exclusively in the United States (maternal invalidation alpha = 0.90; paternal invalidation alpha = 0.88) ( 15 ), France (maternal invalidation alpha = 0.84; paternal invalidation alpha = 0.87) ( 16 ), Portugal (non-clinical sample alpha = 0.912; clinical sample alpha = 0.932) ( 17 ), Turkey (maternal invalidation alpha = 0.84; paternal invalidation alpha 0.87) ( 18 ), and Spain (maternal invalidation alpha = 0.83; paternal invalidation alpha = 0.83) ( 19 ). The factor structure of the scale has demonstrated inconsistent results.…”

“…Three models have been proposed so far. Existing models include a one-factor structure encompassing 14 items as suggested by Alpay, Bellur and Aydin ( 18 ), a two-dimensional model with 14 items as proposed by Puddington, Wright and Gagliesi ( 19 ) and Vieira, Gonçalves ( 17 ), and another study by Robertson, Kimbrel and Nelson-Gray ( 15 ) that recommended a one-factor model with the omission of five items ( 2 , 8 , 9 , 12 , 14 ). Considering that the third model has removed five items just by modification indices, in this study, we investigate two other cases and compare one-factor and two-factor models with 14 items.…”