Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a common chronic illness faced by youth in the United States, with rates of TID continuing to rise annually. Individuals with T1D from racially minoritized backgrounds are made vulnerable to disproportionately adverse diabetes-related outcomes compared to white peers due to enduring systems of oppression. It is important to understand modifiable psychosocial factors that may influence health-related outcomes in youth with T1D, particularly for racially minoritized individuals to buffer deleterious effects of racism. One factor meriting exploration is ethnic identity. Current available literature on measures fit to assess ethnic identity in youth with chronic illness broadly is limited. The purpose of the present study is to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the revised Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM-R) in a racially- and income-diverse sample of youth with T1D across sociodemographic and illness-related proxies for one’s positionality in oppressive systems. Methods: 142 youth with type 1 diabetes were recruited from a pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic as part of a larger study examining resilience in youth with T1D. Youth completed the MEIM-R as well as diabetes specific measures of psychological flexibility, family conflict, non-acceptance, quality of life, and a general of familism. Health-related outcomes such as HbA1c levels and illness duration were extracted from participant medical records at baseline. Information on income was obtained from caregiver reported demographic questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analyses compared the structural validity of competing MEIM-R models, and Uniform and Non-Uniform Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sociodemographic and illness-related factors. Convergent and divergent validity measures indicated the MEIM-R did not correlate with other psychosocial factors examined in this study
