Assessing Measurement Invariance in Allostatic Load between Black and White Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychological Science
• Public Health
• Biomedical Science

Background:

• Allostatic load (AL) quantifies physiological dysregulation from chronic stress.
• Early life adversity elevates AL, increasing premature aging and mortality risks, particularly in Black adolescents.
• Accurate AL measurement across diverse populations requires demonstrated measurement invariance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate measurement invariance of allostatic load (AL) between Black and White adolescents.
• To determine if AL models are equivalent across racial groups for health risk assessments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset.
• Employed a multigroup model to test for measurement invariance in a nationally representative sample.
• Established an optimal AL model for the adolescent sample.

Main Results:

• Allostatic load (AL) demonstrated weak factorial invariance across Black and White adolescents.
• The same biomarkers were found to index AL in both racial groups.
• Strong factorial invariance was not achieved, precluding valid mean-level comparisons between groups.

Conclusions:

• Testing for measurement invariance is crucial before comparing AL levels between racial groups.
• Understanding AL in adolescence can clarify the links between early adversity, puberty, and stress biomarkers.
• Further research is needed to accurately model and apply AL in diverse adolescent populations for effective disease risk prediction.