Measuring self-sufficiency in unaccompanied refugee minors. The inter-rater reliability and construct validity of the SSM-D-UM

The majority of unaccompanied refugee minors are 16 or 17 years old when they arrive in the Netherlands. Most of them are placed in a small care facility, but when they turn 18, they have to move out of the facility. Little is known about the self-sufficiency of these minors during this transition, and there is no instrument to measure their self-sufficiency. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Self-Sufficiency Matrix for Unaccompanied Minors (Dutch version; SSM-D-UM). The sample consists of 92 unaccompanied refugee minors aged 16–19 with a residence permit in the Netherlands. The new instrument (SSM-D-UM) consists of 13 domains that can be scored on a 4-point scale. The inter-rater reliability and construct validity were determined by calculating weighted kappas and conducting a Mokken Scale Analysis, respectively. The construct validity of the newly developed scale (9 domains) was found to be satisfactory, and for eight out of these nine domains the inter-rater reliability was also satisfactory. The domains that did not fit into the scale appeared to be either those that were externally guaranteed for unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 (i.e. income and housing) or were influenced by mastery of Dutch (activities of daily living and knowledge of society), resulting in a lack of spread in these domains. The new Self-Sufficiency Scale for Unaccompanied Minors has the potential to be a useful tool to map the self-sufficiency of these young people during their challenging transition to adulthood.