Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity Measurement Among a Sample of Non-White Young Adult Immigrants in the United States

Background: Racial discrimination is prevalent in the U.S., and immigrants are exposed to its adverse outcomes as they are assigned minoritized and othering status upon their arrival. As a mean to protect themselves, many immigrants connect to others sharing similar identities such as race and ethnicity. The social identity theory posits that the self-concept emanates from social group membership, and social identity gives individuals a sense of belonging to a group. This allows individuals to feel connected and safe. In this context, several research involving immigrants have focused on the protective effects of racial and ethnic identity, typically under a single construct of racial/ethnic identity. This raises an important question related to measurements of racial identity and ethnic identity. Although both describe human identity, they are fundamentally different. Racial identity is directly related to race, which is a central defining identity characteristic with significant repercussions. Consequently, there is a need for standardized measures for racial identity. The current study aims to examine the internal reliability of two subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI).

Method: This study used cross-sectional data collected by an online panel company in August 2023. The sample of non-White immigrants aged 18-29. Black or African American, Asian, and Latinx were the main racial groups, and roughly half of the participants had stable immigration status. We used the MIBI, which was developed to measure racial identity among the Black/African population. The MIBI is a 56-item scale with seven subscales. The centrality and private regard subscales consist of 14 items to measure racial identity. Centrality evaluates the importance of race in participants' self-definition, and private regard assesses their feelings toward their racial group.

Results: Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) were conducted using the MIBI subscales of centrality and private regard. Both subscales provided poor model fits: Chi-square = 329.006 (p <.001); RMSEA = .111; CFI = .817; TLI = .781; SRMR = .084. Of the total 14 items, six had standardized factor loadings that were less than the advised cutoff, which is at least .70. A 6-item factor excluding eight items demonstrated substantially improved fit indices: Chi-square = 25.222 (p < .001); RMSEA = .089; CFI = .971; TLI = .945; SRMR = .031. Although the RMSEA value did not meet the strict criterion of less than .05, it represents an improvement from the original scale's model fits. Of the total six items, two had standardized factor loadings that were less than the advised cutoff.

Implication: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to explore the psychometric properties of the MIBI among non-White young adult immigrants in the U.S. The findings show that racial identity can be more accurately measured through revised MIBI, thereby increasing the credibility of examining the racial identity construct. In addition, the finding might be relevant in determining validity across racial groups, which is vital in highlighting to researchers and practitioners the importance of recognizing and being responsive to the nuances within given populations in research and practice settings.