Testing the measurement invariance of the University of Washington Self-Efficacy Scale short form across four diagnostic subgroups

This study evaluates whether a self-efficacy scale, the University of Washington Self-Efficacy Scale (UW-SES), measures the same concept across different disability groups: muscular dystrophy (MD), multiple sclerosis (MS), post-polio syndrome (PPS), and spinal cord injury (SCI). Measurement invariance means the scale items have the same meaning across groups, allowing for valid comparisons of self-efficacy scores. The study used a statistical technique called multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) to test for different levels of measurement invariance.

• 1
  The study found that the UW-SES short form has scalar invariance across the four diagnostic subgroups (MD, MS, PPS, and SCI).
• 2
  Scalar invariance suggests that the UW-SES measures self-efficacy in the same way across these four groups.
• 3
  The findings support the use of the UW-SES short form to compare self-efficacy scores among individuals with MD, MS, PPS, and SCI.