Structural and concurrent validity of the International English Mini-Markers in an adolescent sample: Exploring analytic approaches and implications for personality assessment

Structural validity studies of Big Five measures using confirmatory factor analysis often yield mixed levels of fit. However, substantial evidence of criterion-related validity also exists for such measures. We investigated the structural and concurrent validity of a recently developed, short, trait-descriptor-based Big Five measure with a large sample of Australian adolescents. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the more recently developed exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), we investigated impacts of a range of modeling decisions, including item parceling and item valence models. The most substantial improvements in fit over CFA-based models resulted from use of ESEM and fitting of correlated uniquenesses based on item valence; effects of modeling decisions on criterion validity were modest. Implications for substantive research are discussed.