Construct validity evidence for the Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form: A structural equation modeling approach using the bifactor model.

Abstract

Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. CONSTRUCT VALIDITY EVIDENCE AbstractThe construct validity of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF) was assessed using a latent variable approach implemented with structural equation modeling (SEM). The MRNI-SF was specified as having a bifactor structure, and validation scales were also specified as latent variables. The latent variable approach had the advantages of separating effects of general and specific factors and controlling for some sources of measurement error. Data (N = 484) were from a diverse sample (38.8% men of color, 22.3% men of diverse sexualities) of community-dwelling and college men who responded to an online survey. The current paper is a companion piece to a study (Levant, Hall, Weigold, & McCurdy, 2015) published in the April 2015 issue of this journal, which investigated the factor structures of three short-form masculinity measures. Here we assess evidence for the construct validity of the latent factors of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF), specified with a bifactor structure. The bifactor model partitions the reliable variance in each item-level response into two components: a broad general influence and a specific influence associated with a narrower content domain, an approach that is consistent with the theoretical meaning of the underlying constructs (see Figure 1). The MRNI-SF measures the endorsement of masculinity ideologies, a construct that is frequently used in the study of psychological issues related to men and masculinities. Masculinity ideologies are cultural beliefs about the appropriate standards or norms for boys' and men's role performance. They are theorized to influence the socialization of boys and to pressure men to conform to masculine norms (Levant, 2011). Such pressure results in various forms of gender role strain and conflict (O'Neil, Good, & Holmes, 1995;Pleck, Sonenstein, & Ku, 1994a).Traditional masculinity ideology was the dominant ideology prior to the deconstruction of gender driven by second-wave feminism in the U.S., beginning in the late 1960s. Since masculinity ideologies vary by culture and there are many cultures in the U.S., it is more accurate to refer to this construct as "traditional White Western masculinity ideology" (hereinafter referred to as TMI for simplicity) to denote its association with the predominantly White Western world (Levant, 2011).Nonetheless, TMI remains influential in the U.S., and men of color must contend with it as well as their own culture's masculini...

Further examination of the factor structure of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF): Measurement considerations for women, men of color, and gay men.

“…Finding evidence for invariance would allow us to have confidence that the scores from different demographic groups could be reliably compared. In addition, although the MRNI-SF has been subjected to rigorous confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) investigations of its factor structure (Levant et al, 2013;Levant et al, 2015;Levant, Hall, Weigold, & McCurdy, 2016), advances in measurement research indicate that further important psychometric properties of the MRNI-SF may need to be examined. Accordingly, the present study extended prior research by modelling the factor structure of the MRNI-SF, calculating indices of model reliability and dimensionality, and testing measurement invariance between groups that fit the White, male, and Eurocentric perspectives reflected in TMIs (i.e., White heterosexual men), and groups that do not reflect those qualities (i.e., women, racial and ethnic minorities, and gay men).…”

Development and Validation of the Masculine Attributes Questionnaire

“…Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed by examining correlations between the MAQ subscales and psychosocial variables. To avoid the hazards of relying on raw scores which, compared with latent factors, would have more statistically significant associations with psychosocial variables and sexual risk outcomes ( Levant, Hall, Weigold, & McCurdy, 2016 ), both raw scores and latent factors of the MAQ subscales were examined. Generally, results using latent factors were consistent with those using raw scores of MAQ subscales.…”

The socialization of boys and men in the modern era: An evolutionary mismatch

“…Traditional male gender norms include toughness, restrictions on the display of emotions, the importance of sex, dominance of women, and negativity toward sexual minorities (Levant, Hall, Weigold, & McCurdy, 2016). Obviously, this does not imply that every male has these characteristics, nor is it the case that these norms are universal.…”

“…Obviously, this does not imply that every male has these characteristics, nor is it the case that these norms are universal. Indeed, Levant et al (2016) suggest that these norms might better be described as “traditional White Western masculine ideology.” As suggested by Dishion (2016) and others (e.g., Causadias, Telzer, & Gonzales, 2018), this traditional male phenotype appears to have been adaptive in our evolutionary history during epochs of adverse and stressful environments, but it may no longer be adaptive in many modern societal contexts.…”