Rasch Analysis of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 with African Americans

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychometrics
• Health Disparities

Background:

• The United States provides advanced psychological services, yet health disparities persist.
• Existing assessment tools may not accurately measure mental health in diverse populations.
• Culturally appropriate psychological assessments are crucial for equitable healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18).
• To determine the cultural appropriateness of the BSI-18 for assessing psychological distress in African Americans.
• To address limitations in mental health assessment for diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• Factor analysis and Rasch analysis were employed.
• Psychometric characteristics of the BSI-18 were assessed.
• The BSI-18's dimensional structure was identified and cross-validated.

Main Results:

• The BSI-18 demonstrated a unidimensional structure among African Americans.
• Minimal person separation, good stability, and little differential item functioning were observed.
• African Americans generally endorsed items at the lower end of the rating scale.

Conclusions:

• The BSI-18 appears unidimensional in African American samples but shows low item endorsement.
• Collapsing the BSI-18 scale to three points improved separation and reliability.
• Further research is needed on multicultural health scales and item skewness effects.