Validation, Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Duke University Religion Index Among Puerto Rican Adults

Religiosity is a determinant of human flourishing and a protective/risk factor on health. In recent years the DUREL has been one of the most used measures in studies of religion and health worldwide. This scale has five items to assess three domains: organizational religiosity (item 1), non-organizational religiosity (item 2), and intrinsic/subjective religiosity (items 3, 4 and 5). Through an online survey, we examined the psychometric properties, factor structure and measurement invariance of the Duke University Religion Index among 411 Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican adults. We found alpha and omega reliability coefficients of .91. In confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with robust maximum likelihood estimation, best-fit models were those with three factors. We observed adequate convergent/discriminant validity via CFA-related statistics. Using multigroup CFA, the DUREL was gender-invariant. Correlations with external criteria supported its concurrent validity. Our findings support DUREL's utility as a religiosity measure for Puerto Ricans.