The Structure of Conflict Styles in Adolescents

Abstract. This study examines the latent structure of the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory – II (ROCI-II) in several samples of secondary school students. Findings from earlier studies conducted in adult populations suggested that the instrument has a four- or five-factor structure; however, the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in this study yielded a three-factor (integrating, dominating, avoiding) solution, with most of the items associated with a fourth factor (Obliging) failing to load as predicted. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) replicated the three-factor solution satisfactorily. A multiple-group CFA indicated that the ROCI-II showed invariant measurement properties in male and female students and corroborated the concurrent validity of the three-factor solution. The integrating factor was related positively to a measure of perspective taking but negatively to a measure of reluctance to participate. The avoiding factor was associated with a measure of reluctance to participate. We discuss the implications of the results for understanding the latent structure of the ROCI-II in adolescents.