A short form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule: evaluation of factorial validity and invariance across demographic variables in a community sample

The existence of two nearly-orthogonal dimensions of positive and negative affect was established for a ten-item short form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule using confirmatory factor analytic techniques in a large probability sample (n=2651) spanning ages 18 to 79. The factor structure and factor correlations were found to be unchanged with age. A multiple indicators, multiple causes model was used to investigate differences in item responses according to age, sex, education, marital status and financial hardship that could not be accounted for by differences in affect levels between groups. Only one item, excited from the Positive Affect scale, was found to elicit differential responses. While improvements to the Positive Affect scale might be desirable, the Short PANAS can be recommended for use when measures of positive and negative affect are required.