The Development and Initial Validation of the Child Perceived Discrimination Questionnaire.

Perceived discrimination can affect psychological and physical health, starting in childhood. Yet, the measures that exist for measuring perceived discrimination among children have methodological limitations and structural/theoretical inconsistencies. The Child Perceived Discrimination Questionnaire (CPDQ) fills the gaps of the current measures by assessing two dimensions of everyday discrimination from both child and adult sources. To assess the reliability and validity of the CPDQ, we examined data from 163 participants, aged 9-11, 52.15% female, 57.67% Black. Results indicated that the CPDQ has good to excellent internal consistency and provided preliminary support for an a priori hypothesized factor structure. The CPDQ also discriminated between different race groups and demonstrated construct validity. Future research should seek additional evidence of reliability and validity for the CPDQ, though this preliminary evidence suggests that the CPDQ is appropriate for assessing perceived discrimination in children.