Cross-Cultural Validation of the Barcelona Immigration Stress Scale

The objective of the current study is to revisit the psychometric properties of the Barcelona Immigration Stress Scale, an instrument aimed at measuring stress levels associated with the migration trajectory in any migrant group.  Using a sample of 915 migrants who consulted in primary care, we carried out principal component and confirmatory factor analyses as well as item response theory analyses applied both to the entire sample and to different migratory groups separately. The new reduced version of the scale has very good psychometric properties both in general and applied to the Latino migratory group, the largest in the area where the study was carried out. Results were acceptable among sub-Saharan, North African, and Asian groups but not among Eastern Europeans. These results are discussed through the specif icities of each migratory group and the limitations of psychometrics to capture the complexity of immigration-related and acculturative stress.
Source: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research