Racial Respect: Initial Testing and Validation of the Racial Respect Scale

AbstractObjective: To investigate the utility of an adapted version of a racial respect scale originally developed for African American youth. We modified the scales for gender-specific use with adult African Americans, and added a subscale to assess racial respect related to romantic partnerships. The current study seeks to investigate the relationship between the reliability and construct validity of the racial respect scale and a measure encompassing 4 theorized adaptive and maladaptive identity types, the Perceptions of African American Experience (PAAX). The study authors also investigate the hypothesized relationship between racial respect and health outcomes and mental health adjustment. Method: The newly developed African American Respect Scale –Women (AARS-W) and African American Respect Scale – Men (AARS-M) are psychometrically tested with samples of adult African Americans (N = 278) recruited in 3 U.S. cities: Portland, Oregon; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, D.C., which were selected to r...