Adaptation of deaf and hard-of-hearing people self-identification scale (DIDS)

Abstract

One obstacle in understanding deafness as a cultural difference is the absence of models and methods that could study the acculturation or identity of deaf people in modern Russia. Approbation and validation of deaf and hard-of-hearing people self-identification scale (DIDS), based on the Glickman model of the development of cultural identity, could contribute to the study of acculturation of deaf people in Russia, and create a reliable methodological tool for practical psychologists working in the system of special secondary and higher professional education. The purpose of this article is to present materials of the step-by-step psychometric verification of the DIDS questionnaire, obtained on a sample of deaf and hard of hearing students studying in different institutional settings, aged 17 to 41 (N = 420, M = 21.88; SD = 5.24). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that all scales are independent of each other. To check the consistency of the scales, the Cronbach coefficient was used. It demonstrated high consistency of each scale in the general sample (α-Cronbach from 0.704 to 0.767), as well as on subsamples of men and women (α-Cronbach from 0.629 to 0.801) and in different age groups (α-Cronbach from 0.687 to 0.862). To check the stability of the scales, an analysis was also carried out on subsamples of persons with varying degrees of hearing loss (α-Cronbach from 0.653 to 0.832) and without it (α-Cronbach from 0.688 to 0.801). To check the internal consistency of the questionnaire, a correlation analysis was carried out both within the scales and between them. The results obtained confirmed the conformity of the considered construct. As a result, the Russian adaptation of the American DIDS scale was reduced by 20 statements, which increased the internal consistency and reliability of the methodology. Analysis of the psychometric properties of the DIDS scale confirmed the possibility of its usage in deaf and hard of hearing Russians.