Abstract
Validation of the Identity Vitality-Pathology Scale-Short among a sample of adults
Ganga Bey, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Building on the large body of literature identifying the social environment as a fundamental determinant of health over the life course, several recent frameworks have emerged to more explicitly outline pathways linking social environmental exposures to health and health disparities. These frameworks highlight the need for multidisciplinary approaches in conceptualizing and implementing effective strategies for eliminating preventable and costly differences in health outcomes. To meet the need for in-depth exploration of the ways in which context-driven psychological processes may transmit the effects of the social environment on health outcomes, the Identity Vitality-Pathology (IVP) Framework (developed by the PI) posits that social influences on identity paradigms and identity influences on beliefs regarding the value of all living beings shape how individuals within certain identity-defined social groups appraise and cope with stressors. To improve the utility of the IVP model for the development of novel interventions to promote healthy aging at the population level, the PI has developed and the 28-item Identity Vitality-Pathology Scale (IVPS) and validated the instrument in a sample of self-identified non-Hispanic Black and White adults. Recent empirical work (under review) provides compelling evidence that identity state—which is hypothesized to be modifiable at any stage of the life course—may be a viable target for population-level interventions to promote healthier aging for all. This pilot project has two specific aims: 1) to broaden the groups on which the IVPS has been evaluated and 2) to assess the relationship of identity state measured using the IVPS-Short with select personality and psychosocial characteristics that are known influences on aging-related stress processes.