Validation of the translated instrument measuring discrimination distress among racial and ethnic minority adolescents

Abstract

Background: Racial and ethnic adolescents in South Korea increasingly encounter discrimination in diverse aspects of their everyday lives. However, there is a lack of psychometrically validated tools to appropriately assess related psychological distress in the Korean setting targeting this population. To validate the Korean version of the Adolescent Discrimination Distress Index (K-ADDI), a culturally adapted instrument to assess discrimination-related distress among adolescents. Methods: A sequential mixed-methods design was employed following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist. In Phase 1, cognitive interviews with 6 racial and ethnic middle school students evaluated content validity, focusing on item clarity, cultural relevance, and semantic equivalence. In Phase 2, a cross-sectional survey of 200 adolescents assessed structural validity, convergent validity, and internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis with oblimin rotation was conducted, and convergent validity was examined via Pearson’s correlation with acculturative stress. Cronbach’s alpha assessed internal consistency. Results: Cognitive interviews supported content validity. Factor analysis identified a 4-factor structure—community, institutional, peer, and educational—based on 13 items, excluding 2 with low-loadings. The K-ADDI showed a moderate positive correlation with acculturative stress and acceptable internal consistency. Conclusion: The 13-item K-ADDI is a psychometrically sound and culturally relevant instrument for measuring discrimination distress in Korean adolescents. While further validation through successive studies is warranted, the revised factor structure—adapted to the sociocultural context of Korean adolescents—introduces community as an additional domain to the 3 identified in the original instrument. © 2025 Korean Society of Global Health.