Exploring the psychometric characteristics of the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale in Black college women: Item response theory analysis.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined item ordering and model-data fit related to items and persons for the frequency and stress appraisal versions of the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale (GRMS) using an item response theory approach.

Method: With a sample that included 153 Black college women attending a predominantly White institution in the Southeast United States, we used the partial credit model to evaluate the psychometric properties of the GRMS. We examined model-data fit, rating scale functioning, and item and person locations for the frequency and stress appraisal versions of the items. We compared item ordering between the two versions of the items.

Results: Preliminary analyses suggested that some items did not fit the partial credit model requirements well, and the original rating scale included some uninformative categories. After we dropped several items and recoded the scale, the GRMS exhibited defensible psychometric properties. Our results indicated that there is a progression of various gendered racial microaggressions (GRMs) both in terms of frequency and stress appraisal and that participants distinguished between these GRMs effectively.

Conclusions: The GRMS exhibited acceptable psychometric properties and can be used to understand the progression and nature of GRMs as a construct and to identify individuals who experience different frequencies and stress appraisals of GRMs. This instrument warrants use and exploration in future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).