Measurement invariance of the revised multigroup ethnic identity measure among a national sample of Native American and Alaska Native college students.

Abstract

ObjectivesDeveloping a healthy ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is a vital developmental task for ethnically or racially marginalized individuals, promoting positive mental health and psychosocial adjustment. However, no prior study has evaluated whether one of the most widely used ERI measures, the Revised Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM-R), functions equivalently across Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) communities.MethodAmong a national sample of 241 NA/AN undergraduate students (76% women, Mdnage = 21) representing 122 communities, this study tested the factor structure, measurement invariance, and latent mean differences of the MEIM-R based on whether participants were raised on or away from their reservation and whether they identified as monoracial or Multiracial.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis indicated that factor structure for the MEIM-R was not wholly consistent across demographic factors, requiring some residual covariances between items depending upon the group examined. Measurement invariance testing demonstrated full scalar invariance between participants raised on and away from their reservation and partial scalar invariance across monoracial and Multiracial identities. Latent means testing highlighted group differences in ERI exploration and commitment across these variables.ConclusionThese findings support that, at least in part, the meaning and configuration of ERI, as measured by the MEIM-R, differ slightly for NA/AN communities based on where individuals grew up and whether they identify as Multiracial. Scholars using the MEIM-R should account for these within-group differences when conducting research with NA/AN communities. Further research is necessary to holistically understand and operationalize important and salient aspects of ERI for NA/AN communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).