SEM and a moderator variable

[Rafaela Boldt]

Dear All,

I set up a SEM with my data. Now I am trying to add a Moderator variable (in total I want to add two) in my SEM, which is categorial but I do not know how to process now.
Can anyone help me what to do next?
I can not find any script online....

Thank you in advance!!

This is my defined model:

model26 <- '
+ # Messmodelle
+ SuSu =~ DifSuSu
+ JobI =~ DifJobI
+ WLB =~  WHC1 + WHC2 + WHC3 + WHC4 + WHC5 + SWLB1 + SWLB2 + SWLB3 + SWLB4 + SWLB5
+ JobS =~ JS1 + JS2 + JS3
+ Stress =~ Stress1 + Stress2 + Stress3 + Stress4 + Stress5 + Stress6 + Stress7
+ # Strukturmodell
+ WLB ~ SuSu
+ WLB ~ JobI
+ Stress ~ WLB
+ JobS ~ WLB
+ JobS ~ SuSu
+ JobS ~ JobI
+ Stress ~ SuSu
+ Stress ~ JobI'

Thank you very much in advance!!
Rafaela

[Terrence Jorgensen]

If you want to add an observed categorical moderator, you can use the "group" argument to run a multiple-group SEM (see examples on the lavaan web site).  Essentially, you allow moderation by allowing a regression parameter to differ between groups (Model A).  You test whether the interaction is significant by constraining the regression parameter to equality across groups (Model B), then perform a chi-squared difference test of the equivalence in fit of those 2 models using the anova() function.

Terry

[Rafaela Boldt]

Thank you very much for your help!

I hope all works out now!