Measuring ethnic identity in Latino adolescents with substance use disorders.

The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) is a frequently used instrument to assess the level of ethnic identity in adolescents. The factor structure of the MEIM has extensively been studied in diverse nonclinical samples, while research with clinical samples of adolescents is lacking. The purpose of the current study is to identify the factor structure of the MEIM in a clinical sample of Latino adolescents (N = 106) with substance use disorders. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to test three competing factor structure models of the MEIM. Results indicated that a six-item two-factor model best fit the data for Latino adolescents in this study. Implications of these results and suggestions for further research are discussed.