Description

The Tribal Identification measure is a 7-item self-report scale designed to assess the strength and nature of a participant’s identification with their tribal community. Adapted from Leach et al. (2008), the measure asks participants to rate their agreement with statements reflecting emotional connection, pride, personal importance, and cognitive awareness of their tribal identity. The purpose of this measure is to capture multiple dimensions of tribal group identification, including feelings of solidarity, satisfaction, and centrality.

AI/AN Communities where the measure has been used

Southwest communities, Midwest communities

Demographics of AI/AN participants where the scale has been used

Adult caregivers with children and youth aged 10-18

Notes on adaptations or modifications

  1. Various names of this measure include: “Tribal Identification”; “Tribal Identity”; “Cultural Identity”; “Identity”
  2. Only 7 items from the original scale are present in this measure (item reduction)
  3. Minor language changes and insertion of direct references to participant’s tribal community (for example, items may contain language such as “my tribal community”)
  4. 4-point Likert response scale used

Modality and administration

e.g., Self-report; this measure is administered by a health worker to a client using paper and pencil or a mobile tablet

Scoring

Each item in the tribal identification measure is rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree). Scoring involves calculating the mean of items within each of the five subscales (solidarity, satisfaction, centrality, individual self-stereotyping, and in-group homogeneity) to yield subscale scores. These can be interpreted individually or averaged to create a composite score of ingroup identification. Higher scores indicate stronger levels of identification on each respective dimension. Please note that the version of the measure presented in the REDCap file in this repository has a reduced number of items (all subscales are not included), which impacts the scoring method.

Psychometric evidence

Leach et al. (2008): Various measures of reliability and specificity to subscales. Not specific to adapted tribal identification scale.

Citation(s)

  • Leach, C. W., van Zomeren, M., Zebel, S., Vliek, M. L., Pennekamp, S. F., Doosje, B., Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Spears, R. (2008). Group-level Self-definition and Self-investment: A Hierarchical (Multicomponent) Model of In-group Identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 144–165. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.144
  • Walls M, Hautala D, Cole A, Kosobuski L, Weiss N, Hill K, Ozhaawashkodewe’iganiikwe Williams S. (2022). Socio-cultural integration and holistic health among Indigenous young adults. BMC Public Health, 22(1):1002. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13395-3. PMID: 35585536; PMCID: PMC9115923.
  • Gonzalez, M. B., Herman, K. A., & Walls, M. L. (2020). Culture, Social Support, and Diabetes Empowerment Among American Indian Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes spectrum : a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 33(2), 156–164. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds19-0036