The chi-square (χ2) goodness of fit statistic is a reasonable measure of model fit. However,
because sample size and the strength of the correlations between variables may
unpredictably influence model fit according to the χ2 test statistic, we relied on the
comparative fit index (CFI) and root mean error of approximation (RMSEA) to assess model
fit (Ridgon, 1996). Both indices have been recommended for routine use. CFI values that
exceed 0.90 and RMSEA values below 0.08 indicate acceptable model fit (Ridgon, 1996);
and RMSEA values below 0.05 indicate close fit (Browne & Cudeck, 1993). More recently,
values close to 0.06 have been designated as indicative of “good fit” (Hu & Bentler, 1999).
The CFI and the RMSEA are both sensitive to model misspecification and are minimally
affected by sample size (Ridgon, 1996). Hypotheses regarding the specific structural
relations of the constructs in the model were also evaluated through inspection of the
direction and magnitude of the path coefficients.