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Research Article: Cultural adaptation, translation, and validation of the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experiences Scale for Indigenous gay and bisexual men in Guatemala

Date Published: 2026-07-13

Abstract:
Among Indigenous communities, racism is associated with negative health effects, including worsened physical and mental health outcomes and less engagement with health services. Despite nearly half of Guatemalans identifying as Indigenous, there have been no scales developed and validated to measure self-reported racism in Indigenous populations in Guatemala, nor elsewhere in Latin America. This study validates the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experiences (MIRE) scale, originally developed to measure racism experiences with Aboriginal populations in Australia, for use in Guatemala among Indigenous gay and bisexual men (GBM) population. The MIRE scale uses 16 items to measure three dimensions of self-reported racism: internalized, systemic, and interpersonal. The MIRE scale was translated into Spanish and tested with 395 Indigenous GBM in Guatemala. Construct validity was tested through confirmatory factor analysis using the three predetermined dimensions of racism. Three previously reported associations between dimensions were used to test the external validity and were confirmed using cross-tabulations and chi-square tests. Reliability of the scale was tested using Cronbach's alpha. A modification index was used to determine any necessary changes to item categorization within the dimensions. After removing one scale item and reorganizing another in line with a modification index, the MIRE-Guatemala scale showed good internal validity (CFI = 0.901, SRMR = 0.066, RMSEA = 0.078, 90%CI: 0.067, 0.089). One of the hypothesized trends in the new MIRE-Guatemala scale was confirmed, and another was supported, indicating mixed results for external validity. The Cronbach's alpha for the three dimensions of racism all showed good reliability (? = 0.75, 0.79, 0.86). The MIRE-Guatemala scale showed good internal validity and reliability to be validated for use among Indigenous GBM in Guatemala. External validity is moderate and should be tested further. The validated scale has strong potential to capture the racism experiences of Indigenous GBM in Guatemalan with further research and validation. Research should continue to develop and validate measures to assess Indigenous racism throughout the region.

Introduction:
Among Indigenous communities, racism is associated with negative health effects, including worsened physical and mental health outcomes and less engagement with health services. Despite nearly half of Guatemalans identifying as Indigenous, there have been no scales developed and validated to measure self-reported racism in Indigenous populations in Guatemala, nor elsewhere in Latin America. This study validates the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experiences (MIRE) scale, originally developed to measure racism…

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