Psychometric Evaluation of the Brief Acculturation Scale for Hispanics

Hisp J Behav Sci. 2014 May 1;36(2):164-174. doi: 10.1177/0739986314526697.

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Brief Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (BASH), a four-item, language-based measure of acculturation. Participants in the study were 435 Hispanic Americans from a large metropolitan area with English or Spanish language preference. Internal consistency reliability was strong in both language-preference groups. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the structural validity of the measure. A unidimensional factor structure was found for both English and Spanish language-preference groups and items loaded equivalently across groups, demonstrating measurement invariance. The BASH had good convergent validity and incremental validity. Overall, this study provides further evidence that the BASH offers a brief, reliable, and valid measure of acculturation to be used among Hispanic Americans.

Keywords: Hispanic Americans; acculturation; measurement; multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis.