Validity and measurement invariance of the Modern Homonegativity Scale for students in the field of education
Abstract
The research aimed at analysing attitudes towards homosexuality recommends the use of instruments that can detect subtle aspects of discrimination against gay men and lesbian women. It also asserts that the measurement invariance of constructs is essential for valid comparisons between groups. The present study aims to validate the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS) in university students in the field of education (N = 1.283) with an age range of 17 to 49 years old (M = 2.88; SD = 3.02). In addition, we seek to examine the measurement invariance of the MHS in relation to certain sociodemographic and personal variables (e.g. gender identity), as well as ideological variables (e.g. political inclination). The results provided evidence of the scale's unidimensionality and a high degree of internal consistency (wMHS-G = .879; wMHS-L = .906), as well as satisfactory fit indices (CFIMHS-G = .95, CFIMHS-L = .97; RMSEAMHS-G = .064, 90% CI: .057- .071, RMSEAMHS-L = .059, 90% CI: .052-.066) and external validity values (MHS-G and AN-T: r = .753, CI 95% = .722- .785; MHS-L and AN-T: r = .76. CI 95% = .730- .790). They also indicated that both the subscales – towards gay men (MHS-G) and lesbian women (MHS-L) – are invariant constructs according to the variables studied. The findings point to the validity and measurement invariance of the proposed model for comparing levels of modern homonegativity between the groups studied.
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References
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