The PANAS-C: A cross-cultural examination among South African adolescents

The presence of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) is important to adolescent developmental trajectories and their well-being. While the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-S) has been widely implemented to measure affect among adolescents, measurement equivalence of the scale has rarely been addressed. This study investigated measurement equivalence of the PANAS-C across gender and ethnicity (Black and White) among a sample of South African adolescents. It also examined group differences in PA and NA between males and females, and between the two ethnic groups. Data was available for 1062 adolescents with a mean age of 15.9 years. Results from a uniform differential item analysis suggested that the items on both the PA and NA subscales function largely similarly across gender and ethnicity. Using Bayesian analyses to investigate group differences in PA and NA, boys scored higher on positive affect, and girls higher on negative affect. There were no differences in either PA or NA among Black and White adolescents. The significance and implications of the results are discussed.