The Disability Identity Development Scale-Short Form: Development and validation in general and TGNB disability...

Disability identity is a multifaceted construct associated with important psychosocial outcomes, yet few psychometrically validated instruments exist to assess it comprehensively and parsimoniously. This study shortened the original Disability Identity Development Scale (DIDS) to create and validate the DIDS-Short Form to improve the feasibility and accessibility of measuring disability identity dimensions across diverse populations.

This study used DIDS data from two U.S.-based samples of disabled adults: one general disability sample (N = 409) and one transgender and gender-nonbinary (TGNB) disability sample (N = 289).

An exploratory factor analysis on DIDS responses from half of the general sample suggested the retention of 17 items and three subscales: Disability Identification, Contributions to the Disability Community, and Values and Advocacy. Two separate confirmatory factor analyses on the 17 items from the remaining half of the general sample and the TGNB sample both suggested good model fit. Total and subscale scores were positively correlated with life satisfaction in general and TGNB samples, particularly the Disability Identification and Contributions to the Disability Community subscales, and internal consistency was adequate across the total and subscales scores (αs = .75-.94). Conclusion/Implications The DIDS-Short Form demonstrates strong psychometric properties and offers a practical tool for assessing disability identity in both research and clinical contexts. Its brevity and conceptual clarity make it well suited for use with diverse disabled populations, including TGNB individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).