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In this study we sought to collect evidence regarding the validity of the Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT), systematically reviewing studies that tested its psychometric properties (Study 1) and trying to replicate validity evidence collected across previous validation studies (Study 2). We found five studies that tested the validity of CIT scores through the collection of different kinds of evidence (score structure validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion-related validity, incremental validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability). Results were often inconsistent across studies (especially for the score structure validity evidence). Using a sample of 483 Italian participants (63.0% female; aged 18-71 years), we replicated the tests performed in the previous validation studies. Findings suggest that the best fitting model is the one that (1) adds the overarching latent construct of thriving, which can be measured using the total scale score; and (2) merges the Skills and Flow factors in just one factor, named 'Skills for Flow'. At the same time, the different kinds of validity evidence collected both in previous validation studies and in the current replication study indicate high overlap among thriving sub-dimensions and poor validity evidence. We concluded that the CIT in its present form is not an adequate instrument to assess thriving, thus mono-dimensional scales (e.g. Brief Inventory of Thriving) should be currently preferred. Suggestions to develop a multi-dimensional scale measuring thriving (both using a theory-driven approach or a data-drive approach) are discussed., Author(s): Angela Sorgente [sup.1] , Michela Zambelli [sup.1] , Semira Tagliabue [sup.2] , Margherita Lanz [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.8142.f, 0000 0001 0941 3192, Department of Pyschology, Università Cattolica del [...]

This study tested factorial structure, reliability as well as gender, age, and cultural measurement invariance of the Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT). Data were collected from 981 Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese emerging adults. Results showed that BIT scores were reliable, mono-dimensional, and suitable to assess thriving across different populations.

The transition from financial dependence on one's parents to financial self-sufficiency is one of the most relevant transitions during emerging adulthood. It is important to have an instrument able to assess emerging adults' financial capabilities and to detect its change over time. The current article aims to collect international evidence of the Financial Identity Scale (FIS) validity and reliability. Cross-sectional data collected from 2,501 emerging adults aged 18--25 and belonging to three different countries--U.S. (n = 1,535), Italy (n = 485), and Lithuania (n = 481)--were adopted to test score structure validity, generalizability, sensitivity to difference, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency. Instead, four-wave longitudinal data, available for the American sample only (n = 1,900), were adopted to test FIS structural stability and sensitivity to change. As recommended by the contemporary view of validity, different structural equation models were performed. Findings suggest that FIS scores are valid and reliable. The implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

After the 2008 economic crisis, the financial condition of youth has become a frequent research topic and the need for an instrument measuring financial constructs relevant for this stage of life is increasing. The current paper consists of four studies aiming to develop and validate an instrument measuring subjective financial well-being in a population of European emerging adults. The first study collected qualitative data -- performing interviews with experts and the target population -- in order to contextualize the construct. Based on these results, we developed the initial 44-item version of the scale. The second study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of these items. There were 25 items measuring five different aspects of subjective financial well-being (general subjective financial well-being, money management, peer comparison, having money, financial future) with acceptable psychometric properties. The third study aimed to collect validity evidence about the newly developed scale. Five different kinds of evidence suggested that the scale is a good measure of subjective financial well-being. The last study tested measurement invariance between the Portuguese and Italian versions of the scale. Results suggested that the Multidimensional Subjective Financial Well-being Scale works well in both countries.

The present study tested the Gudmunson and Danes (2011) family financial socialization model (FFSM) using three waves of longitudinal data gathered from a college cohort of emerging adults in the United States. Specifically, we aimed to test the validity of this model in emerging adulthood (Aim 1), to verify whether the effect of the parent's socialization on a child's end financial outcome is mediated by intermediary financial outcomes (Aim 2), and to verify whether the effects found when testing the FFSM are stable across time points (Aim 3). Our findings indicate that of eight paths in the model between family socialization processes and financial socialization outcomes, seven paths were significant, thereby lending support for the validity of FFSM in emerging adulthood (Aim 1). Second, we found no mediation effects of parental financial socialization on emerging adult financial behavior and well-being via the internalization of parents' beliefs, values, and practices (Aim 2). We offer plausible explanations for this result. Last, we verified that the financial socialization processes and their effects are generally invariant across the beginning, the middle, and the end of the emerging adulthood (Aim 3). We interpret our findings in the context of the extant literature on emerging adults' transition to adult independence and provide insights for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between an individual's financial behavior and financial satisfaction is well known. Less evidence is available about how these two constructs interplay within couples. This considered, the current paper aims to (a) examine whether individuals' financial satisfaction is influenced by their own financial behavior (actor effect) and their partner's financial behavior (partner effect); (b) examine whether these two effects vary between husbands and wives; and (c) verify how couples' bank account status (i.e., only joint bank accounts, only separate bank accounts, both joint and separate bank accounts) moderate these effects. The current study draws 1,475 heterosexual early married couples from Couple Relationships and Transition Experiences study and modeled dyadic data through an Actor Partner Interdependence Model. Results indicate that actor's financial behavior is associated only with one's own financial satisfaction (actor effect) and not one's partner's financial satisfaction (partner effect). This holds for both wives and husbands. Furthermore, individuals who hold only joint bank account(s) are more likely to have financial behaviors similar to their partner than individuals who hold only separate bank accounts or both joint and separate accounts. Couples who hold only separate accounts are more likely to engage in less positive financial behavior than their counterparts. Implications for relationship therapists and financial professionals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because finances play an important part in managing the demands of adult social roles, we investigate the formation of financial identity and its association with perceived adult status. Drawing from Marcia's (1966) operationalization of four identity statuses (i.e., foreclosed, achieved, diffused, moratorium) and adapted to the financial domain, we performed Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) using longitudinal data gathered from a cohort of college students in the United States at four time points (N = 672) covering an eight-year period (2008–2016). A key study finding is empirical directional evidence of financial identity as a predictor of adult status. In addition, findings show that, over time, individuals commit more strongly to a certain financial identity, which may in turn factor significantly in the process of achieving adult self-sufficiency. Finally, we distinguish three distinct financial identity profiles based on the way that participants made decisions related to financial matters during the transition to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift in the parent-child relationship during the transition to adulthood presumes that emerging adults progress toward financial self-sufficiency. Research indicates that financial parenting contributes to success in this transition, and these effects extend beyond the financial domain. Nevertheless, there is a lack of theory-based tools to measure relevant financial parenting aspects. By applying the six dimensions of interpersonal behaviors outlined in the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the current study develops a scale targeting the interpersonal style of financial parenting. To validate the scale, it also tests seven preregistered hypotheses predicting internal structure and associations with relevant external variables in a sample of 600 emerging adults (Mage =24.94, SDage = 3.03, range 19–29 years; 52.3% women). The sample, diverse occupational status characteristics, was recruited from an online survey panel using the controlled quota sampling strategy. While study results provide modest evidence for a hypothesized six-factor structure and advocate instead for a more parsimonious two-dimensional one, results provide evidence for the new scale's convergent, discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity. This is the first study that brings SDT into family financial socialization research and opens a new line of research on family financial socialization, achievement of financial self-sufficiency, and emerging adults' wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]