Sex differences in the structure of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale

This research examined sex differences in the factorial structure of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale. In particular, we view the covariance structure of the scale items as a function of several parameter matrices. We analyzed the factorial invariance by testing hypotheses involving the equivalence constraints of one or more parameter matrices in the male and female populations. Data for this research came from the 1968 National Senior Citizens Survey. Analysis of covariance structures (or LISREL) was used to assess the factorial invariance of the scale. We found some statistically significant sex differences in the first-order factor loadings and measurement error variances. Substantively, however, these differences are less important.