Experiences in close relationships-revised (ECR-R): Measurement (non-) invariance across Chinese and Greek samples

Abstract

Attachment is an important relational construct. Many studies have shown concurrent as well as longitudinal associations between attachment and many indices of adolescent and adult adaptation. The experiences in close relationshipsrevised (ECR-R) is one of the most commonly used self-report instruments of romantic attachment and therefore it is important to extend knowledge on its applicability in understudied non-Western samples. The purpose of this paper was threefold: (1) to examine the factor structure of the ECR-R in a Chinese sample, (2) to test the factorial equivalence of the instrument between Chinese and Greek samples, (3) to examine the measurement invariance of the instrument between those samples. Results supported the well-known two-factor structure of the instrument in the Chinese sample and the common factor structure between the two groups. Applying a multiple testing procedure we were able to detect those parameters for which invariance did not hold. Implications of results are discussed.

Measurement invariance: The case of measuring romantic attachment in Greek and Cypriot adolescents

“…The ECR-R measures romantic attachment avoidance and anxiety (Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000). It is a reliable instrument, broadly applied across different countries, including Greece and Cyprus where the present study refers to (Mastrotheodoros et al, 2015).…”

“…Furthermore, Cyprus as a former English colony and current Commonwealth member, has been exposed to more individualistic influences (Terkourafi, 2007). Subsequently, the interpersonal aspects associated with ECR-R could be perceived differently (Mastrotheodoros et al, 2015). Collectivism emphasizes the relational level, whereas individualism highlights the individual's interest.…”

“…Items' scores are accumulated with higher scores indicating stronger avoidance or anxiety. The ECR-R Greek adaptation presented good psychometric properties (Mastrotheodoros et al, 2015). Gender and age information was collected.…”

“…To avoid MI specification problems due to the ECR-R length, and in line with past studies, parcelling was applied (Mastrotheodoros et al, 2015). The itemto-construct balance, where high and low factor loading items are equally distributed across parcels, was adopted (Mastrotheodoros et al, 2015). Thus, the problematic items were "split" along with high-loadings items in six parcels (3 items each) per factor-subscale (total 12 parcels; see Table 2).…”

“…factor structure across different ethnic groups), as well as measurement invariance (i.e. whether observed group differences indicate true differences or cross-groups variability) analyses (MI) (Mastrotheodoros, Chen, & Motti-Stefanidi, 2015).…”