Flexibility in existential beliefs and worldview: Testing measurement invariance and factorial structure of the existential quest scale in an Italian sample of adults

The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the
Existential Quest (EQ) Scale, a nine-items instrument developed to assess openness to
changing one’s own convictions concerning existential issues. We developed the Italian
version of the scale and examined factorial structure, internal consistency, discriminant
validity, and measurement invariance across gender and age groups. A total of 291
Italian adults were recruited, and they completed a self-report questionnaire comprising
measures of authoritarianism, cognitive closure, well-being, and religiousness, alongside
the EQ. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original one-factor structure was
replicated in this study, except for one-item that was removed from the subsequent
analyses. Both the internal consistency of the eight-item scale as assessed by
Cronbach’s a and discriminant validity were in line with those of the original study.
However, McDonald’s reliability coefficient were quite low, and further researches
employing repeated measures are needed in order to comprehend the contribution of
the random error and that of the item specificity in lowering McDonald’s coefficient.
Finally, evidence of full measurement invariance across gender and partial measurement
invariance across age was obtained. Overall, these findings suggest that the Italian
version of the EQ is a promising tool for assessing flexibility about existential issues.