Assessing Nigrescence Beyond the United States: Black Racial Identity Attitudes in Jamaica

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the current study, we examined scores on an adapted version of the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS) in a sample of 348 Jamaican college students. Our goal was to assess whether nigrescence attitudes as operationalized by adapted Cross Racial Identity Scale scores (J-CRIS) would be internally consistent and structurally valid in a context outside the United States. Nigrescence theory was conceptualized in the context of discrimination in a country where individuals of African descent are a minority, whereas Jamaica is a country that is more than 90% Black. Results indicated that scores on the J-CRIS were internally consistent and confirmatory factor analyses supported the structural validity of the scores in Jamaica. Correlations of J-CRIS scores with ethnic identity and collective self-esteem scores provided some evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. The results of the study suggest that nigrescence attitudes can be measured with integrity in Jamaicans, although future research will be needed to understand whether the subscales have the same meaning in this context.