Validation of the French Psychological Capital Questionnaire (F-PCQ-24) and its measurement invariance using bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework

The general purpose of this study was to validate the French Psychological Capital Questionnaire (F-PCQ-24) in a French Air Force sample (N = 3,665). One specific aim was to verify what the best measurement model is for PsyCap, notably by using Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (B-ESEM). Another specific aim was to examine the measurement invariance of the best fitting model for the F-PCQ-24 across gender, rank and tenure. Results supported the superiority of the B-ESEM model of PsyCap with the hope dimension divided into its two components (will-power and way-power). Moreover, multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated the measurement invariance of F-PCQ-24 for gender and tenure, while there was a small problem with measurement invariance for rank. Overall, these findings confirm that the F-PCQ-24 is a stable measure of PsyCap and support previous theoretical considerations that PsyCap is a core construct. Implications of these findings, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.