Structural validity of the MABC-2 in European and African children: An analysis of age band 2

Background The Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (MABC-2) is a widely used motor assessment tool for identifying Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). However, the structural validity of the MABC-2 remains underinvestigated, particularly in children aged 7–10, when DCD is most frequently diagnosed. The primary aim of this study was to examine the structural validity of the MABC-2 in European and African children aged 7–10 years. Methods We retrospectively analyzed a dataset (n = 3025) including African and European children. The test-defined three-domain structure was assessed with higher-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, Asymptotically Distribution-free estimation). Next, the dataset was randomly divided in two: exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using oblique rotation was conducted in one half of the sample, and these factors were then reassessed with CFA in the other half. Results Multiple group comparison yielded the need for separate analyses per continent. The test-defined structure was not confirmed in either European or African children. Instead, EFA identified a four-domain structure in both subsamples. The drawing trail (item 3) did not fit any CFA model and was therefore removed from the final model. In the European sample, the dynamic balance domain had the strongest loadings onto the total score, while “eye-hand/eye-foot coordination” showed the strongest loadings in the African sample. Conclusion A four-domain structure appears to underlie the MABC-2 in a large sample of European and African children. Factor loadings shifted slightly depending on the subsample, further underscoring the need for region-specific normative data, which should be considered in future standardization procedures.