Context matters: Validity and reliability of a sociopolitical concerns measure for use in population health research on discrimination and health

Background

Sociopolitical contexts shape both experiences of discrimination and health, yet limited research has included sociopolitical concerns metrics, as an exposure, confounder, or effect modifier.

Objective

To assess psychometric properties of a self-report measure of sociopolitical concerns.

Methods

We assessed a 15-item sociopolitical concerns scale, based on Gallup poll questions, in a cross-sectional sample of 699 US-born adults ages 25–64 years recruited from three community health centers in Boston, Massachusetts, between May 2020-July 2022. We conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to assess construct validity and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess measurement invariance across groups for 6 types of discrimination, involving age, racialized group, gender modality, gender identity, sexual orientation, and weight.

Results

Inter-item correlations ranged from 0.04 to 0.50 (36 % of correlations were $\ge$0.40), with a high Cronbach’s alpha (0.87). EFA revealed three underlying factors, all related to a single construct. Multi-group CFA indicated that configural and metric invariance held for 5 of the 6 discrimination groups (for age, only configural invariance held). Self-reported experiences of discrimination were positively associated with sociopolitical concerns for each type of discrimination.

Conclusion

The sociopolitical concerns scale is a reliable measure with strong construct validity, potentially useful for future research on discrimination and health.