Psychometric evaluation and measurement equivalence of the Adolescents’ Societal Belongingness Scale (ASBS)

ABSTRACT Societal belongingness – feelings of being a connected, an affiliated, and a respected member of the larger society – may contribute to the understanding of adolescent development both as a person and a member of society in a multicultural context. The current study examined the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Adolescents’ Societal Belongingness Scale (ASBS) using data from 12- to 15-year-old youth (N = 1065, Mage = 13.12, SD = .42, 45% female). Multiple group CFA models revealed configural, scalar, and metric invariance of the societal belongingness scale across adolescents with immigrant, mixed, and Swedish backgrounds. The scale scores were positively correlated with class belonging and social trust and negatively correlated with depressive symptoms and delinquency. Between-group differences across immigrant, mixed-heritage, and native youth provided further evidence for the sensitivity of the measure. Overall, the current findings suggest that the societal belongingness scale could be used for studying the sense of belonging towards the larger society across adolescents of immigrant, mixed, and majority backgrounds.