Perceptions of Racism in Children and Youth (PRaCY)

Properties of a Self-Report Instrument for Research on Children's Health and Development

Bibliographic Data

ID8090904
AuthorsLee M Pachter (0000-0002-5766-0953, Drexel University, corresponding author), Laura A Szalacha (0000-0002-4504-6980, Arizona State University), Bruce A Bernstein, Bruce Bernstein (Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center), Cynthia García Coll (Brown University)
Year2009
Volume15
Issue1
Pages33-46
Publication date2009-12-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnicity and Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1355-7858 • E-ISSN: 1465-3419
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13557850903383196
PMID20013438
PMCIDPMC2891186
OpenAlexW2002649490
LanguageEN
Citations received44
References cited28

Experiences of racial discrimination have been demonstrated to be related to racial and ethnic disparities in mental and physical health and healthcare. There has been little study, however, of the relationship between racism and health in children, and few psychometrically valid and reliable instruments to measure Perceptions of Racism in Children and Youth (PRaCY) exist. This paper reports on the development and testing of such an instrument, the PRaCY. Development of the instrument began with open-ended qualitative interviews, from which a proto-questionnaire was created. The questionnaire gathered information on the prevalence, attribution, emotional responses, and coping responses to 23 situations identified by participants in the qualitative phase. The proto-questionnaire was administered to 277 children between the ages of 8 and 18 years (38% Latino/a, 31% African-American, 19% multiracial/multicultural, 7% West Indian/Caribbean, and 5% Other). Item analysis resulted in two developmentally appropriate 10-item instruments (one for ages 7-13, another for ages 14-18). Internal consistency reliability was strong (alpha = 0.78 for both versions of the instrument). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good fit for both versions (younger-Comparative Fit Index (CFI): 0.967, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA): 0.047; older-CFI: 0.934, RMSEA: 0.056). Differential item functioning analyses demonstrated no group-specific biases in item response. PRaCY scores were appropriately associated with higher depressive symptom scores and elevated anxiety scores in the younger sample. Results indicate that the PRaCY is a valid and reliable instrument that measures perceptions of racism and discrimination in children and youth aged 8-18 from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds

Anxiety · Attribution · Confirmatory factor analysis · Coping (psychology · Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Measurement invariance · Mental health · Perception · Psychiatry · Racism · Structural equation modeling · Clinical Psychology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology

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