Measurement Invariance of the HEXACO-100 Across Gender Groups: A Three-Sample Study.

Area of Science:

• Psychological Measurement
• Personality Psychology
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Understanding psychological gender differences requires validated personality measures.
• Measurement invariance (MI) is crucial for cross-group comparisons, ensuring scales function similarly across genders.
• The HEXACO-100 is a widely used personality inventory, but its gender-based MI requires thorough examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine gender-based measurement invariance (MI) of the HEXACO-100 personality inventory.
• To assess MI across diverse samples (students, working adults) and testing contexts (research, high-stakes selection).
• To determine if observed gender differences in personality are influenced by measurement artifacts.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was employed.
• Three distinct samples were analyzed, varying in age and testing context.
• Configural, metric, and scalar invariance were systematically tested for gender across studies.

Main Results:

• Configural and metric invariance were consistently supported across all three studies.
• Scalar invariance was not supported, indicating potential differences in item functioning.
• Small effect sizes for non-invariance were observed, except for the Emotionality scale where females scored higher due to MI.

Conclusions:

• While the HEXACO-100 shows good configural and metric invariance across genders, scalar invariance is lacking.
• Measurement non-invariance, particularly in the Emotionality scale, can inflate observed mean gender differences.
• Findings highlight the importance of assessing MI to accurately interpret psychological gender differences.