1 Department of Psychology, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia.
2 Cyberpsychology Laboratory and Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jérôme, Canada; Substantive-Methodological Synergy Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
3 Department of Psychology, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia. Electronic address: cjarango@uninorte.edu.co.
4 Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Psychology, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; Sociedad Uruguaya de Análisis y Modificación de la Conducta (SUAMOC), Montevideo, Uruguay.
5 Eating Behavior Research Center, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile; Research Department, Comenzar de Nuevo Treatment Center, Monterrey, México.
6 Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México.
7 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Department of Psychology, Social Science Faculty, Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
8 Eating Behavior Research Center, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile.
9 Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Investigación Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, Colombia.
10 Departamento de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Centro de Investigación e Innovación Social, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, Colombia.
11 Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Psychology, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
12 Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
13 School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychological Medicine, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) is increasingly used within diverse national and linguistic contexts, but assessments of its functioning across groups remains limited. To extend knowledge, we examined measurement invariance of the FAS across five Latin American nations (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay), with 1861 respondents. We also assessed differential item functioning (DIF) across respondent characteristics, as well as associations between functionality appreciation and life satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure of the FAS in all national groups, but constraints on a small number of intercepts and uniquenesses had to be relaxed to achieve partial invariance. Likewise, respondent gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) differentially affected some item functioning across national groups, but relaxing constraints on non-invariant paths allowed us to achieve partial DIF. There were no differences in latent functionality appreciation across nations, while men, older participants, and those with lower BMIs had higher functionality appreciation in all national groups. Finally, greater functionality appreciation was robustly associated with higher life satisfaction, with the association being invariant across nations. Further research should assess reasons for non-invariance of some items of the FAS in Latin America, ideally through the use of follow-up qualitative research.