How Full Is the Glass? Examining the Validity of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 Across Five Ethnoracial Groups

This study investigated various aspects of the validity of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 for college student clients comprising five ethnoracial groups. The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 has demonstrated solid psychometric properties in previous studies; however, its accuracy for clients of color has received limited empirical attention. Using a sample of 307,685 clients at 137 college and university counseling centers, exploratory factor analyses were conducted for five ethnoracial groups (Asian American, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, and White). Evidence of factor invariance across groups was generally strong, although several items did not have their primary loadings on expected subscales for multiple groups. Differential item functioning revealed that many of these items did not perform in a consistent manner across ethnoracial groups. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the overall factor structure of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 fit well across the five ethnoracial groups. Clinical implications and directions for future study are discussed.