The cross-cultural generalizability and validity of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire

The present study examined the validity of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), an instrument designed to measure five personality dimensions linked to multicultural orientation and adaptation. First, the cross-cultural generalizability of the scales was investigated across Italian (N = 421) and Dutch (N = 419) student samples. Factorial invariance and generalizability of dimensions were tested by means of confirmatory multigroup factor analysis. Results show that the five dimensions are stable across the two countries. The MPQ dimensions were related to the Big Five dimensions and to a set of more specific potential predictors of international orientation in the expected direction. Moreover, the data revealed support for the incremental validity of the MPQ dimensions above these general (Big Five) and specific personality dimensions. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.