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Updated: Jul 19, 2025

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Validation of the Family Fear of Deportation Scale for youth
Ronald B Cox1, Hua Lin1, Maritza Jireh Leon Cartagena1
1Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States.
Objective:
This study reports on the psychometric properties of a new instrument to assess family fear of deportation in two versions (binary and polytomous response options).
Background:
The impact of fear of deportation extends beyond foreign-born youth to U.S. citizen children in families with unauthorized members, and negatively affects their academic achievement and their physical, mental, and behavioral health. A measure assessing levels of fear of deportation among youth is lacking.
Methods:
Participants were first- and second-generation Latino immigrant youth (N = 145 in Study 1 and N = 107 in Study 2). Item response theory (IRT), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), correlation analysis, and reliability tests were used to assess the scale's psychometric properties.
Results:
The results supported a five-item binary version and a six-item polytomous version of the scale. Both demonstrated excellent model fit, good reliability, and criterion validity.
Conclusions:
The six-item polytomous version is slightly more parsimonious than the five-item binary version scale, has better internal consistency, and captures a modestly wider range of the construct. The binary version may be preferable for immigrant youth who prefer straightforward response options.
Implications:
Researchers and practitioners can use either version of the Family Fear of Deportation Scale with confidence to assess deportation-related fear among Latino immigrant youth.
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