The Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire: Development and Preliminary Validation of a Community Version1

This paper describes 2 studies that evaluated a new instrument, the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire-Community Version (PEDQ-CV). The PEDQ-CV can be used across ethnic groups to assess perceived racism or ethnic discrimination. The scales measure several subdimensions of racism, permitting the examination of different forms of this race-related stressor. The first study evaluated the psychometric properties of the PEDQ-CV in a large sample of community-dwelling adults. The second evaluated psychometric properties of a brief version of the PEDQ-CV, developed for research protocols requiring a shorter administration time. Tests were made of reliability and several forms of construct validity. Both versions of the PEDQ-CV have good reliability and construct validity. The PEDQ-CV can facilitate the development of an integrative body of knowledge across different ethnic groups regarding the existence, determinants, and consequences of discrimination.