Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2025 Sep 18. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000775. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The Police and Law Enforcement (PLE) Scale assesses police-based discrimination and shows excellent psychometric properties among Black men. We posit that experiences with law enforcement vary at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender and are linked to psychosocial outcomes.
METHOD: Replicate the factor structure of the PLE Scale in an independent sample of Black men (n = 198) and extend the measure by testing its psychometric comparability among Black women (n = 193), Latina women (n = 209), White women (n = 186), Latino men (n = 203), and White men (n = 198). We utilized a U.S.-based online sample (n = 1,187) of 18-26-year-olds. Measurement invariance tests were conducted; multigroup structural equation modeling examined the relationship between the PLE Scale and loneliness, access to environmental reward, depressive and anger rumination, and impulsive sexual behaviors.
RESULTS: The PLE Scale replicates among Black men, does not display adequate psychometric properties among White women, and necessitates partial measurement invariance models across other groups. After accounting for differential item functioning, Black and Latino men report the highest levels of police-based discrimination. Similarities and differences were observed in the association between higher police-based discrimination and more loneliness, depressive, and anger rumination. Access to environmental reward and sexual behaviors displayed measurement bias that precluded comparisons.
CONCLUSIONS: While this measure necessitates latent variable statistics to be applied across intersectional identities, it shows adequate psychometric properties to be useful in research among Black, Latino, and White men, Black women and Latina women (but not White women). Last, police-based discrimination appears to be particularly linked to rumination among men. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
PMID:40965923 | DOI:10.1037/cdp0000775
