Multiple Group Structural Equation Modeling

Multiple group structural equation modeling (MG-SEM) is a structural equation model (SEM) analysis extended to more than one set of data. The groupings may be preexisting (e.g., gender or race), or they may be imposed (e.g., assignment to treatment or control group, or groupings based on other measured variables). Recall, SEM is a form of latent variable analysis. A path analysis is an examination of regression equations in a (potentially complex) network of interconnected relationships. An SEM analysis is different from a path analysis in that the latter uses only manifest (or directly observable) variables, whereas the former allows for latent (or unobserved) variables to be modeled. Consequently, many SEM analyses involve both a structural model (the path model, if you will) and a measurement ...