Assessing the multigroup ethnic identity measure for measurement equivalence across racial and ethnic groups

An increasing number of organizational researchers examine the effects of ethnic identity and other-group orientation. In doing so, many use Phinney's (1992) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), which purportedly allows simultaneous assessment of various groups. Although several studies demonstrate adequate validity and reliability for scores on the MEIM, the only two studies that have assessed its measurement equivalence across racial and ethnic groups (a) focus exclusively on the ethnic identity component, (b) use entirely adolescent samples, and (c) obtain somewhat mixed results. Because ethnic identity is still developing during adolescence, it cannot be assumed that equivalence or lack thereof among adolescents will generalize to adults. The present study examines the measurement equivalence of both components of the MEIM across racial and ethnic groups using a sample of 1,349 White, Hispanic, African American, and Asian American adults. The results suggest that Roberts et al.'s revised version demonstrates evidence of measurement equivalence.