ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Positive Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1635726
This article is part of the Research TopicAssessing Well-being From the Third World: Psychometric Developments From Non-WEIRD CountriesView all 8 articles
Measurement Invariance and Differential Item Functioning of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): A Psychometric Study in Ecuadorian Young
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidad de Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
- 2CEC Research Group, Escuela de Psicología y Educación, Universidad de Las Américas, Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- 3Grupo de Investigación Bienestar, Salud y Sociedad, Escuela de Psicología y Educación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador., Quito, Ecuador
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This study aimed to validate the two-factor structure of the Spanish version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in a sample of Ecuadorian young adults, examining its reliability, construct validity, and measurement invariance across gender. A total of 918 participants completed the PANAS, along with measures of personality traits and negative life events. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement invariance testing, and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were conducted. The two-factor model showed excellent fit after removing the item Alerta ("Alert"), which exhibited poor loading likely due to contextual reinterpretation. Both Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) scales demonstrated strong internal consistency (α > .89). Discriminant validity was supported by near-zero latent correlations and compliance with the Fornell-Larcker criterion. Partial metric and scalar invariance across gender were observed, with DIF analyses revealing item-level differences, especially for fear-and hostility-related emotions. Criterion validity was confirmed via expected correlations with life events and personality traits. The PANAS shows robust psychometric properties in this population, although some items exhibit gender-based variability in interpretation. Cultural sensitivity and periodic item review are essential in emotional assessment tools to ensure conceptual and contextual validity.
Keywords: PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), IRT (item response theory), CFA, positive psychology, Ecuador (country), DIF (differential item functioning)
Received: 27 May 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Parra-Gaete, Vinueza and Bourgeat-Salazar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cesar Parra-Gaete, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
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