Development of the Multidimensional Inventory of Deaf Acculturative Stress.

Abstract

Deaf adults may experience acculturative stress as they navigate within and between the Hearing and Deaf communities. However, no measure has been developed to assess levels of deaf acculturative stress. This study aimed to develop the Multidimensional Inventory of Deaf Acculturative Stress (MIDAS). The MIDAS was developed through a sequential and iterative scale development procedure and then tested on a sample of 104 deaf adults across the United States (age range = 18-79; 74% female). Principal component analyses were run for item refinement and selection. The final analyses yielded four factors for Stress from the Hearing Community, three factors for Stress from the Deaf Community, and two factors for Intersectionality. Construct validity was demonstrated through correlations in the expected directions with measures of Hearing and Deaf acculturation identity and ethnic/racial identity. The utility of the MIDAS is discussed with regard to future research.