Measure of Socialization of American Indian Children (MOSAIC): Understanding the Roots of Ethnic-Racial Identity

Objectives: The Measure of Socialization of American Indian Children (MOSAIC) was created as part of a larger study developing a family-based and culturally grounded substance use prevention program for young American Indian (AI) adolescents. The MOSAIC was designed to measure ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) for use with AI families to support better understanding of the roots of ethnic-racial identity among AI youth and their relationship to risk for substance use in early adolescence. Method: This study was conducted in partnership with a Lakota reservation community. Community partners and advisors provided guidance on the creation of an item pool, which also drew extensively from the existing literature on ERS in other populations. The MOSAIC was pilot tested with a small sample of parents (N = 19) and then tested with a development sample of participants (N = 197) taking part in the larger study. A series of factor analyses were conducted with data from this development sample to explore associations among items and alignment with proposed dimensions. Results: Four dimensions emerged, related to socialization practices to support spirituality, language, pride, and preparation for bias. The original MOSIAC measure was refined based on these analyses and prepared for testing in an independent sample. Conclusions: Dimensions of ERS common to measures developed for other populations emerged as relevant for AI families, with adaptations to reflect the unique context of this population. Further work is needed to confirm the structure of the MOSAIC in both this AI community and with other diverse indigenous populations. Public Significance Statement Strong ethnic-racial identity has the potential to be a strong factor in promoting healthy development among American Indian youth, but there has been little scientific study of the roots of identity among American Indian youth. Limitations in research can be at least partly attributed to a lack of valid measures that reflect both the developmental phase of early adolescence and the cultural contexts of American Indian communities. The work described here can help address this gap by providing an appropriate measurement tool.