Age and regional differences in the African American Acculturation Scale (AAAS): The case for re-validation

This study attempted to validate a measure of acculturation with a predominantly southern African American population. The African American Acculturation Scale (AAAS) is the most widely used measure to assess level of integration or adoption of the dominant culture versus maintaining a more traditional African American orientation. Traditional African American orientation is associated with poor health behaviors such as smoking, and healthy behaviors such as abstaining from alcohol. The original psychometric analyses for the AAAS were based on sample populations from California that were predominantly younger (under age 30). We hypothesized that age and regional differences in historical and sociocultural experience may have resulted in the removal of some items from the original scale to form the revised scale. Using the full 74 item AAAS, we surveyed African Americans in Charlotte, NC (n=150). We then duplicated the original analyses conducted to validate the scale. Preliminary analyses showed excellent reliability based on Cronbach's alphas with the original AAAS ( = .948) and the AAAS-Revised ( = .934). Analyses by age revealed that African Americans over 50 were significantly less acculturated than those under 50 (ρ = .004); however the AAAS and the AAAS-Revised had lower reliability in the older sample, with several subscales demonstrating low internal consistency. This study demonstrates the need for deeper validity and reliability analysis when using existing measures that are culture-based, as ethnic and racial subgroups are heterogeneous in terms of experience, attitudes and beliefs. We will present new analyses for a southern-specific version of the scale.