185

The Career Assessment Diagnostic Inventory:

A New Career Indecision Assessment Tool
Sherry A. Vidal-Brown
University of Houston
Bruce Thompson
Texas A&M University
and
Baylor College of Medicine
Career decision making is an important aspect of life. At some
point, one must decide what type of job to apply for or whether to seek
the education required for a specific career. Many individuals struggle
with these decisions. However, multidimensional measures of
uncertainty are needed in providing guidance to such persons,
because it appears that the indecision phenomenon is multi-
dimensional and not restricted only to a need for career information.
The present study evaluated a 98-item multidimensional measure of
six career-indecision factors. Based on data provided by 539 college
students, scale scores on the Career Assessment Diagnostic Inventory
(CADI) had alpha coefficients ranging from .81 to .93 ( M .89). =

Factor analysis and convergent validity results were both supportive

of a conclusion that CADI scores are valid.

Keywords: Career assessment, career indecision, career choice,

career decision-making, career counseling

Career decision making is an important aspect of life. At some point one

must decide what type of job to apply for or whether to seek the education
required for a specific career. Many individuals struggle with these decisions
and seek the advice of career counselors. Although career decision making
is an integral part of individual development, understanding the process of
career decision making has perplexed researchers in the behavioral sciences
for over 90 years.
Theorists and researchers have explored various components that
influence career decision making. Some theorists have conceptualized the
career decision-making process in terms of developmental theory (Erickson,
1980; Super, 1952), psychodynamic theory (Brill, 1949; Roe, 1956), family

Correspondence concerning this article and requests for offprints should be addressed
to Bruce Thompson, Texas A&M University, Department of Education of Psychology,
College Station, TX 77843-4225. E-mail via URL: http://acs.tamu.edul-bbt6147

Published and copyright © 2001 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. All rights reserved.

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186

systems theory (Bowen, 1978; Bowlby, 1982), attachment theory (Blustein,

Prezioso, & Schultheiss, 1995), and social learning theory (Bandura, 1977;
Taylor & Betz, 1983). Most empirical studies have evaluated career decision
making in terms of the certainty an individual feels regarding career choice
and the degree to which certain psychological factors contribute to difficulties
in decision making.
The career development literature has increasingly recognized the
multidimensional complexity of the career decision-making process (Blustein
& Noumair, 1996). This movement towards a multidimensional approach has
important implications regarding the diagnosis and interventions used in
career counseling. Heppner and Hendricks (1995) and Miller (1996) have
argued that career counselors need to assess more than an individual’s
interests. Lowman (1993) argued that the use of career assessments that
solely focus on an individual’s interests or abilities could be considered
malpractice.
Decision Uncertainty and Indecisiveness
It has been estimated that 15% of college students continue to be
undecided even after receiving career information (cf. Astin, 1975). In some
cases this undecidedness reflects &dquo;state&dquo; dynamics, including factors such
as perceived insufficiency of available information, whereas in other cases
indecision involves presumably more stable internal &dquo;trait&dquo; factors, such as
personality, or external factors, such as familial influences. We sought here
to evaluate a broad-ranging measure of several dimensions of the latter kinds
of influences.
Hartman, Fuqua, and Jenkins (1988) advocated use of a multidimensional
approach in examining the various career decision-making difficulties that
individuals may experience. Specifically, Betz (1992) proposed that future
studies should focus on an &dquo;understanding of the nature of the dimensionality
of the broader context of career indecision&dquo; (p. 470). However, few studies
have provided such a focus.
Numerous assessments have been developed to evaluate aspects of career
decision making. Such assessments include unidimensional career decision
scales including the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico,
& Koschier, 1976) and the Career Decision Diagnostic Assessment (Sklare,
1985), and a limited number of multidimensional measures including the
Career Factors Inventory (CFI; Chartrand, Robbins, Morrill, & Boggs,
1990) and the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI; Sampson, Peterson, Lenz,
Reardon, & Saunders, 1996). Additionally, there are instruments that
assess psychological constructs related to career decision making, such as
self-efficacy (Taylor & Betz, 1983), vocational identity (Holland, Daiger, &
Power, 1980), decision-making style (Harren, 1979), and career locus of
control (Trice, Haire, & Elliot, 1989).
However, few of these measures incorporate a multidimensional approach
to career decision making. Because theoretical models and empirical findings
suggest that multiple factors are related to career decision making, it is
important that assessment measures parallel these findings (Chartrand
& Robbins, 1991). As Fouad (1994) noted, &dquo;increasing our knowledge of
vocational behavior will not occur until we realize that there are multiple
factors influencing that behavior&dquo; (p. 157). Consequently, studies are needed

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 187

to examine the multiple influences upon career decision making and the
resolution of career-related indecision.
Fortunately, Chartrand et al. (1990) initiated a journey examining the
multidimensionality of career decision-making difficulties through the
development of a multidimensional instrument titled the CFI. These authors
sought &dquo;to develop a rationally derived instrument with a stable multiple-factor
structure that contained items representing only one factor each&dquo; (p. 492).
Although the CFI illuminated the existence of multiple factors involved
in career decision making, the inventory did not include some prominent
factors that have been identified as important to career decision making. For
example, Fouad ( 1994) argued for the incorporation of more familial factors
that affect career decision making. Specifically, family systems theory
postulates that enmeshed families often have poor boundaries, thus parents
may fail to create independence for a child, thereby inducing career
uncertainty for the child (Bowen, 1978). In this vein, Kinner, Brigman,
and Noble (1990) found that undergraduates from enmeshed families
experienced difficulties in career decision making.
Other researchers have also noted that personality factors should be
incorporated in a multidimensional approach (Lucas & Epperson, 1988;
Walsh & Lewis, 1972). Crites (1981) stated that &dquo;career choice is largely an
expression of the client’s personality, whether defined as self-concept or
needs. Choice problems [decision-making problems] are essentially
personality problems&dquo; (p. 10).
Additionally, Chartrand et al. (1990) indicated that the four-factor model
they proposed in the CFI may not be the only appropriate model for assessing
career decision difficulties. More specifically, they suggested that &dquo;the
Career Factors Inventory scales do not represent all relevant symptoms of
career indecision&dquo; (p. 499). Thus, studies that explore and assess other
multidimensional models related to career decision making would further
illuminate the dynamic process of career decision-making difficulties.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate a multidimensional
instrument that assesses multiple factors contributing to career decision
making. Although the current literature in this area is replete with
unidimensional measures, few multidimensional measures exist. Various
theoretical constructs and empirical studies were used to create a measure
with sound psychometric properties, research potential, and clinical
applicability.
In the present study we addressed three research issues as regards the
98-item Career Assessment Diagnostic Inventory (CADI; Vidal-Brown &
Thompson, 1998). First, based on a premise that scores (not tests) are
reliable (cf. Thompson & Vacha-Haase, 2000; Wilkinson & APA Task Force
on Statistical Inference, 1999), we investigated the reliability of scale scores
in our sample. Second, given that &dquo;factor analysis is intimately involved with
questions of validity&dquo; (Nunnally, 1978, p. 112), we investigated the factor
structure underlying our data. Third, we investigated the bivariate and
multivariate convergent validity of scores from the CADI with scores on four
related measures.

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188

Method
Participants
Sample #1
The primary sample was comprised of 539 students (approximately 64%
males, n 347) from a large southwestern public university. Forty-five
=

majors, including marketing (11%), education (9%), business analysis (7%),

and engineering (3%) were represented in the sample. Roughly 13% (n 71) =

of the participants reported that they were uncertain about their majors.
The sample’s ethnic representation was similar to the ethnic composition
of the university population. The sample consisted of 82% Caucasians (n =

437), 9% Hispanics (n 49), 4% African Americans (n 23), 3% Asian

= =

Americans (n 15), and 2% other or missing data (n 15). Additionally, the

= =

sample consisted of the following breakdown by university classification:

freshman (7%), sophomores (15%), juniors (39%), and seniors (38%).

Sample #2
Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a small independent sample of 94
participants. This sample included 82 Caucasians (87%), 8 Hispanics (8%),
1 Asian American (1%), 1 African American (1%), and 2 other (2%). The
sample was exclusively undergraduate and included 47 juniors (50%) and
30 seniors (32%) and only 2 freshman (2%). Nineteen different majors were
represented, including education (44%), instructional technology (11%),
agricultural education (8%), psychology (6%), English (4%), and Spanish (4%).
Roughly 10% of these participants reported that they were uncertain about
their majors.
Career Assessment Diagnostic Inventory (CADI)
The initial version of the CADI was evaluated with a sample of 364
college students (Vidal-Brown & Thompson, 1998). Based on these prior
results, Vidal-Brown and Thompson (1998) selected the best performing
items from an original pool of 240 items for retention, and a handful of new
items were added, resulting in a measure with 98 items.
The 98-item CADI was designed to measure six scales. The scales and
illustrative items are:
1. Family Conflict (14 items, 1 reverse scored) refers to students
or individuals who experience some type of conflict or
disapproval from a parental figure. Conflict may occur when a
parent is overinvolved in the student’s life (e.g., telling the
student what courses to register for or what major to choose).
For example Item 43 &dquo;My parents pressure me to do things
their way,&dquo; and Item 7 &dquo;Most of the time my parent(s) are too
overprotective.&dquo;
2. Emotional Independence ( 18 items, 3 reverse scored) refers to
a psychological state in which an individual feels free from
excessive need of approval from parents or significant others.
An individual who is emotionally dependent relies excessively
on this approval. For example Item 102 &dquo;I often want the

approval of my parents before I make a decision,&dquo; and Item 47

&dquo;After being with my parent(s), I find it difficult to leave.&dquo;

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 189

3. Decision-Making Anxiety (14 items, 4 reverse scored) occurs

when an individual becomes anxious when contemplating a
career decision. The individual may experience shortness of
breath, nausea, sweaty palms, racing thoughts, sleeplessness,
or constant worry. For example Item 26 &dquo;Thinking about
career choices is overwhelming to me,&dquo; and Item 38 &dquo;I get
tense when contemplating which career to choose.&dquo;
4. Identity Development (17 items, 8 reverse scored) refers to the
degree to which an individual has a well developed sense of
self and insight into how he/she is perceived by others. For
example Item 93 &dquo;I am happy with myself,&dquo; and Item 63 &dquo;I am
pleased with who I am.&dquo;
5. Career Information (15 items, none reverse scored) is defined
as a need for any information about jobs, careers, and college

majors. Individuals who express a need for career information

either want specific information (e.g., salary information) or
general information (e.g., types of medical jobs) about careers.
For example Item 28 &dquo;Before making a career decision, I need
information about different types of jobs,&dquo; and Item 87 &dquo;Before
making a career decision, I need information about the type of
people that possess a job in career fields that match my
interests.&dquo;
6. Career Self-Efficacy (20 items, 4 reverse scored) refers to the
degree to which an individual possesses positive beliefs about
one’s ability to make a career decision. For example Item 103
&dquo;Selecting the right career requires a certain level of
maturity,&dquo; and Item 36 &dquo;I believe in my ability to succeed.&dquo;
Other Instruments
As noted previously, there are several theories and empirical studies that
espouse various factors that contribute to or impede the career decision-
making process. Parallel to these studies are various measures that evaluate
separate unidimensional and multidimensional constructs. A Counselor’s
Guide to Career Assessment Instruments (Kapes, Mastie, & Whitfield, 1994)
presents an overview of approximately 300 career instruments. The majority
of the instruments cited in this text are aptitude, interest, and developmental
measures. There are relatively few instruments in the literature that address
the specific multiple factors affecting decision making. However, from available
measures we selected four for use in our convergent validity analyses.

The APA Task Force on Statistical Inference recently emphasized the

following:
It is important to remember that a test is not reliable or
unreliable. Reliability is a property of the scores on a test...
Thus, authors should provide reliability coefficients of the
scores for the data being analyzed even when the focus of
their research is not psychometric. Interpreting the size of
observed effects requires an assessment of the reliability of
the scores. (Wilkinson & APA Task Force on Statistical
Inference, 1999, p. 596)

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190

In keeping with these views, we report here score reliabilities associated

with our own data. In general, our scores were more reliable than those
described in the respective manuals.
Career Factors Inventory (CFI)
The CFI (Chartrand et al., 1990) is a four-factor instrument that examines
two information factors and two personal-emotional factors related to career
indecision. The authors used a rational approach to develop the CFI. The
two information factors are the Need for Career Information and the Need
for Self-Knowledge, whereas the two personal-emotional factors are labeled
Career Choice Anxiety and Generalized Indecisiveness.
Lewis and Savickas (1995) examined concurrent validity by correlating the
CFI with the Career Choice Status Inventory (CCSI; Ross & Spencer, 1988),
the Vocational Identity Scale (VIS; Ross & Spencer, 1988), and the Career
Development Inventory (CDI; Thompson & Lindeman, 1981). They found
statistically significant correlations between the CFI and the CCSI (r =

-.50), VIS (r -.65), and CDI (rs ranged from .20 to .41 for the four scores).
=

In the original sample alpha coefficients ranged from .73 to .86 for the
subscale scores (Chartrand et al., 1990). In our sample alpha coefficients
were: Need for Career Information, .79; Need for Self-Knowledge, .87;
Career Choice Anxiety, .91; and Generalized Indecisiveness, .74.
Career Decision Scale (CDS)
The CDS (Osipow et al., 1976) has often been referred to as the preferred
scale in the career indecision literature (Meier, 1991). Several studies have
supported the notion that this inventory is well developed (Harmon, 1985).
The CDS contains 19 items that comprise two scales: a Certainty scale,
and an Indecision scale.
Seven factor-analytic studies have been reported that examine the factor
structure of the CDS (Slaney, 1988). Some studies report a four-factor
structure whereas others report a two-factor structure (Shimizu, Vondracek,
Schulenberg, & Hostetler, 1988). In our study the alpha coefficients for
the scores on the Certainty and Indecision scales were .89 and .90,
respectively.
Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI)
This inventory (Sampson et al., 1996) assesses different dysfunctional
thinking patterns related to career decision making. The CTI yields
dysfunctional thinking scores on three construct scales: Decision-Making
Confusion (14 items), Commitment Anxiety (10 items), and External Conflict
(5 items).
For the standardization sample, the alphas for the scale scores were .90
for Decision-Making Confusion, .79 for Commitment Anxiety, and .74 for
External Conflict. In our sample the alphas were .95, .90, and .78,
respectively.
My Vocational Situation (MVS)
MVS (Holland et al., 1980) is one of the few measures that examines
vocational identity, level of occupational information, and barriers to career
decision making This instrument contains 26 statements that are

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 191

dichotomously scored. The Barrier score is based on four statements, the

Occupational Information score is based on four statements, and the
Vocational Identity score is derived from 18 items. Vocational Identity
seems to be the subscale with the most statistical support (cf. Leong &
Morris, 1989; Lucas, Gysbers, Buescher, & Heppner, 1988).
In the original study the K-R 20 for college males on the Barriers scale
was .45, on the Occupational Information scale was .79, and on the
Vocational Identity scale was .89. In our study the score alphas were .59, .80,
and .89, respectively.

Results
CADI Scale Score Reliabilities
Table 1 presents the results of reliability analyses of the six CADI scale
scores. The scale scores on the CADI had alpha coefficients ranging from .81
to .93 (M =
.89). Stability reliability coefficients are also reported for the
independent sample of 94 participants retested following a 2-week delay.
CADI Score Structure
The scores of the 539 participants on the 98 items were subjected to a
principal components analysis (PCA) with rotation to the varimax criterion.
The use of principal components versus principal axis factor (PAF) analysis
(in which communality coefficients are iteratively estimated) is a matter of
some controversy within the analytic community. The two analyses only
change the main diagonal of the correlation matrix, so in the present case
the choice makes little real difference. In our analyses the diagonal only
constituted 1% (98 / [98 x 98] 98 /9,604) of the entries in the correlation
=

matrix (Thompson & Daniel, 1996), so the two methods here were expected
to yield comparable results. Nevertheless, to illustrate these dynamics,
and to confirm that our results were not an artifact of analytic method, we
also report results from a principal axis factor analysis of the data.
Based on application of Cattell’s scree test, six components were extracted.
As Hetzel (1996) explained regarding the use of orthogonal rotation

Some researchers have argued that, all things being equal,

orthogonal solutions desirable. Since the factor pattern
are
and the factor structure matrices are identical, and the factor
correlation matrix is an identity matrix, fewer parameter
matrices are estimated. In theory, the resulting parsimony
should lead to more replicable results. (p. 194)
Rotation to the varimax criterion resulted in simple structure. Because
the results were interpretable and more parsimonious (and thus theoretically
more generalizable) than oblique rotation, this was the structure of choice
for our study. Table 2 presents a summary of these results.
Table 2 also presents the percentage of post-rotation trace accounted for
by each rotated factor. Unfortunately, many researchers incorrectly interpret
the eigenvalues as reflecting variance accounted for by rotated factors,
when in fact eigenvalues only reflect variance associated with the unrotated
factors (Thompson, 1989).

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192

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194

Convergent Validity Analyses

Bivariate analyses
Scores of the six CADI scales were correlated with scores of the 12 scales
from the four other measures employed in the study. These results are
presented in Table 3. Virtually all of the coefficients were statistically
significant, as noted in the table. However, the number of coefficients
deemed salient (r > 1.35 1) was greatest for the Decision-Making Anxiety
scale (10), and the Identity Development (7) and Career Information (7)
CADI scales.
The remaining three CADI scales only had one coefficient each that was
deemed salient, thus indicating that these three CADI scales are less
related to scores on the other four measures. Thus, to the extent that these
three CADI scales are deemed noteworthy, to some degree it is these three
scales that are value-added via the CADI.
Multivariate analyses
Because multivariate analyses can yield a different perspective on results
even for the same data, a canonical correlation analysis was conducted to

explore multivariate convergent validity (Thompson, 1984, 2000). Partly as

an artifact of large sample size, only the lambda (.989) associated with the
last Rc2 effect size was not statistically significant, F(7, 526) 0.81, p .58. = =

However, the squared canonical correlations (81.2%, 48.8%, and 34.6%,

respectively) for the first three uncorrelated canonical functions were
deemed particularly noteworthy and are reported in Table 4.

Discussion
Career undecided individuals report lower academic achievement
(Lunneborg, 1976), lower satisfaction with college (Hecklinger, 1972), lower
career salience (Greenhaus & Simon, 1977), lower self-efficacy ratings
(Taylor & Betz, 1983), higher attrition rates (Astin; 1975, Foote, 1980),
and decreased self-esteem (Barrett & Tinsley, 1977; Resnick, Fauble, &
Osipow, 1977). Measures that address related phenomena therefore may be
valuable in diagnosing problems or evaluating intervention effects.
Our study was conducted to explore the reliability, structure, and
convergent validity of scores on the 98-item CADI. The six CADI scales
had alpha coefficients ranging from .81 to .93 (M .89), as reported in =

Table 1. Stability reliability coefficients ranged from .75 to .91 (M .86). =

The expected factor structure was recovered, as reported in Table 2.

Almost all of the 98 items were &dquo;univocal&dquo; (i.e., spoke only through one
factor-the expected factor). The expected similarity of the pattern/structure
coefficients from the two extraction methods indicates that our results
were not a methodological artifact of analytic choices.
Because the 12 non-CADI subscales were generally selected as measures
of aspects of career indecision, one reasonable expectation for the multivariate
convergent validity analysis would be that a &dquo;G,&dquo; or General, dimension
might underlie relations between the 6 CADI scores and scores on the 12 other
scales. Indeed, as reported in Table 4, three of the six CADI scales and at least
eight of the 12 non-CADI scores were highly correlated (rs2s > .35) with the
first canonical function, which yielded an R~2value of 81.2%.

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 195

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 199

We labeled this canonical function &dquo;Generalized Indecision Dynamics.&dquo;

This multivariate result is consistent with the findings that these three CADI
scales (Decision-Making Anxiety, Identity Development, and Career
Information) had 10, 7, and 7 salient bivariate correlations respectively, with
the 12 non-CADI scores, as reported in Table 3.
The second canonical function, statistically independent of the first
function, yielded an R~2 value of 48.8%. This function primarily involved the
CADI Career Information and Career Self-Efficacy scales and the CFI Need
for Career Information scale. We labeled this function &dquo;Internal Efficacy.&dquo;
Interestingly, the fact that this knowledge function emerged as an
independent factor indicates that knowledge is not the primary component
of career indecision. Thus, interventions targeting knowledge about careers
may not fully address important components of indecision.
The third uncorrelated canonical function yielded an R~2 value of 34.6%.
This function primarily involved the CADI Family Conflict and Emotional
Independence scales and the CTI External Conflict scale. Thus, emotional
and family dynamics appear to be somewhat independent of the General or
&dquo;G&dquo; indecisiveness and internal efficacy factors. We labeled this function
&dquo;External Indecision Dynamics.&dquo;

Summary
In the aggregate, the fact that CADI Decision-Making Anxiety had by
far the largest structure coefficient on the first canonical function (rs2 -
95.1%) and had noteworthy bivariate correlations with at least 10 of the 12
non-CADI scores suggests that anxiety is a primary component of career
indecision. This finding is consistent with Williamson’s (1939) conclusion some
60 years ago that &dquo;the causes of [vocational choice] uncertainty are many,
usually consisting of fear of lack of aptitude, fear of displeasing parents
and friends, and fear of failure in the chosen occupation&dquo; (pp. 414-415).
Of course, these correlational results cannot inform judgment as to
whether this relationship is reciprocal or causal in one direction or the
other. But the result suggests that interventions targeting career indecision
must address anxiety as an important issue.
The Table 4 results can also be tied to the literature, to the extent that
the four other measures (the CDS, CFI, CTI, and MVS) are taken as
reflecting that literature. Many of the scales on these four measures have
variance in common with the CADI scales. But only the CFI Need for Career
Information subscale also measures the Internal Efficacy dimensions tapped
by the CADI. And only the CTI External Conflict subscale measures the
External Indecision Dynamics measured by the CADI. Thus, among these
five tools the CADI represents the broadest of the multidimensional
measures of career indecision or uncertainty dynamics.

In summary, the 98-item CADI appears to yield scores that are reasonably
reliable and valid. Three of the CADI scales overlap considerably with
related indecision measures. However, three of the CADI scales (i.e., Family
Conflict, Emotional Independence, and Career Self-Efficacy) measure
dynamics only partially represented in existing measures. These constructs
may be important.
For example, Bowen’s (1978) family systems theory is often used to
postulate that enmeshment (i.e., poor differentiation) in a family may lead

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200

to career decision difficulties for individuals. The theoretical assumption is

that enmeshed families often have poor boundaries; thus parents may fail
to create independence for a child, thereby inducing career uncertainty
(Lopez & Andrews, 1987; Minuchin, 1974). Of course, the ultimate evaluation
of the CADI’s utility will involve its use in either diagnostic applications or
the evaluation of interventions designed to help individuals struggling
with indecision issues.

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