Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Behavioral Science

Specialization

Behavioral Sciences

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Joseph S. Rossi

Abstract

Adult attachment along with stress perceptions may explain emerging adult health outcomes, including health disparities for some minoritized intersectional race/ethnicity and gender groups. However, exploration of intersectional measurement differences is often neglected. This three-part study used a variable centered latent modeling approach, applying a quantitative intersectionality approach to assess measurement models of two widely used scales: Adult Attachment and Perceived Stress in a sample of 1,187 emerging adults from six intersectional race/ethnicity and gender groups. Traditional characterizations of adult attachment factor structure did not hold in this diverse sample, and differential item functioning was seen in minoritized groups along with variations in structural associations according to minoritized intersectional race/ethnicity and gender groups, including likely moderation by acculturation for one minoritized intersectional group. Emerging adult health may be improved by way of contextualized factor structure of adult attachment along with use of unbased measures in health research.

Available for download on Thursday, May 27, 2027

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