Assessing intergroup disgust sensitivity: psychometric properties of an adolescent version of the Intergroup Disgust Sensitivity Scale

Intergroup disgust sensitivity (ITG-DS) refers to the tendency to experience disgust and revulsion towards ethnic outgroups. Studies in undergraduates and adults from the general population showed that ITG-DS is a strong predictor of interethnic prejudice. In the present study, the aim was to develop an adolescent version of the Intergroup Disgust Sensitivity (ITG-DS) Scale and to examine its psychometric properties in a sample of 397 Italian-born participants (36% females, M age = 16.20 ± 0.77 years). The scale showed a clear single-factor structure, adequate reliability, and good nomological validity. Evidence supporting the measurement invariance of the scale across sex was also obtained. Globally, these results indicate that the version of the ITG-DS Scale used here is a useful tool for those interested in assessing intergroup disgust sensitivity in adolescence and evaluating its correlates.