A Structural Equation Model for Self-Assessed Economic Vulnerability

Abstract

This chapter presents a confirmatory type of analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to examine research question Iv): Is there statistical evidence that Financial Needs and Expectations (operationalized by socio-professional category, health status and frequency of social participation) play a mediating role between economic resources and self-assessed economic strain (difficulties in making ends meet)? Among various approaches that exist in moving from theory to a structural equation model, the one proposed here has been referred to as ‘model generating’: if the initially estimated theoretical model fails to fit the data well, we will consult modification indices with the objective of finding a model that is rooted in theory and that fits the data well.