Development and initial validation of the Immigrant Optimism Questionnaire (IOQ) for immigrant-origin young adults

Abstract

Immigrant optimism has been identified as a cultural protective factor that could be targeted in prevention efforts that support immigrant well-being. However, to date, immigrant optimism has not been consistently operationalized. We report on an iterative and collaborative approach to develop and validate a measure of immigrant optimism. Methods: Content validity was established using feedback from immigrant-origin young adults and from experts in the field. Then, using survey data from 241 immigrant-origin young adults, we examined reliability, validity, and invariance of our measure among first- and second-generation immigrants. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a single immigrant optimism factor explains significant variation in each of our indicators. Our measure was further invariant across first- and second-generation immigrant youth and demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusions: Findings support the use of our measure with immigrant-origin young adults. We offer considerations for future research and highlight implications for prevention efforts.