Validation of the acculturative stress inventory for children

Abstract

The psychometric properties of the Acculturative Stress Inventory for Children (ASIC) were examined with a sample of 139 Hispanic children. This self-report instrument was studied using the items of the Societal, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale for Children (SAFE-C; Chavez, Moran, Reid, & Lopez, 1997), which had face validity for acculturative stress. The psychometric properties of the ASIC were examined by conducting an exploratory principal-axis factor analysis, which yielded a two-factor solution. The first factor includes 8 items assessing perceived discrimination and the 4 items of the second factor measure immigration-related experiences. Evidence of internal consistency and test-retest reliability for the 2 factors and the total scale were found to be adequate. In addition, sufficient estimates of convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity were obtained. Implications for future research of acculturative stress in children involving the ASIC are discussed.