Intrapersonal psychological empowerment: Assessing measurement invariance of the Brief Sociopolitical Control Scale for youth between LGBQ+ and non-LGBQ+ youth of color

Abstract

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and Questioning+ (LGBQ+) Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) youth experience significant stigmatization and injustice compared to their non-LGBQ+ BIPOC peers. Empowerment, civic engagement, and social connection are protective factors that reduce negative psychological outcomes for these youth. Despite this, validated measures to assess empowerment among LGBQ+ BIPOC youth are scarce. This study evaluated the applicability of the newly revised Brief Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (BSPCS-Y) through multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to examine configural, metric, and scalar invariances between LGBQ+ and non-LGBQ+ BIPOC youth (N = 1789). Convergent validity was assessed with psychological sense of community and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results indicated a good model fit for the abbreviated BSPCS-Y, with no significant group differences in metric and scalar invariances. Subscales for leadership competence and policy control were positively associated with psychological sense of community and negatively associated with depression and anxiety symptoms, with stronger effects of psychological sense of community observed in non-LGBQ+ BIPOC youth and more robust associations with reduced depression and anxiety among LGBQ+ BIPOC youth. These findings support the BSPCS-Y as a valid tool for measuring empowerment in diverse BIPOC youth populations.