Very high levels of DBF were found for most of the item sets considered in this study, implying that diverse cultural groups have a different conditional probability of endorsing some sets of items due to the items measuring a secondary trait in addition to the main trait the scale was designed to measure.
The DIF and DTF tests were performed using Rasch analysis, which controls for ability across groups, ensuring that items are only flagged if groups of test-takers of the same ability levels exhibit a significantly different probability of endorsing the item.
In this perspective, we accord the latent traits a causal status: one's position on the latent trait determines the probability of endorsing a given item or psychiatric symptom [18], [48].
This class exhibited the lowest probability of endorsing any of the IUD diagnostic criteria.
Note that Option 4 of Item 3 entirely overlaps Options 2 and 3. Indeed, at all levels of severity, the probability of endorsing Option 4 is equal to or greater than the probability of endorsing Options 2 or 3.
To examine DIF, TestGraf calculates a weighted average of the squared difference between the focal or comparison group's probability of endorsing an item and the reference or baseline group's probability of endorsing an item.
The expected response structure is a probabilistic Guttman pattern, which assumes that for the same person ability, the probability of endorsing an easy item is higher than the probability of endorsing a more difficult item, and vice versa [ 28].
Members of this class evidenced a.55 to.88 probability of endorsing each DSM-IV inhalant dependence criterion.
Figure 1 shows the probability of endorsing each adversity indicator and overall class sizes based on posterior modal allocations.
The probability of endorsing such an item by the hospital is shown in the ultimate left column.
The first threshold specifies the location on the latent distress dimension where the probability of endorsing sometimes becomes higher than endorsing never.
