Exploring the validity of the problem solving inventory with Mexican American high school students

Abstract

The Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner & Petersen, 1982) is a widely used measure to assess one's perceived ability in problem-solving behaviors and attitudes in the United States and many other countries. In this study, a bilevel model was examined with a Mexican American high school student sample (N = 164) using confirmatory factor analysis. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the bilevel model with the current sample of Mexican American high school students. The data provided support for the PSI and enhances the generalizability of some of the previous findings based on the U.S., Turkish, and South African samples. Also, this study provides crosscultural information that promotes our knowledge about the efficacy of problem-solving constructs across different age and cultural groups.