Internal-Structural Validity of Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status Among Arab Adolescents

The internal structural validity of the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status scale was tested among Arabic adolescents (N =319). It was hypothesized, based on the fact that the Arabic identity is of the collective and the contextual type, that the 4 identity statuses and the 3 topical domains (occupation, politics, and religion) of the scale would interact, rendering the distribution of the ego-identity status scales dependent on the topical content domains. Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the 4 identity status scales was low. Principal factor analysis of the scale revealed a mismatch between the 4 identity statuses and the factors. However, when the factor analysis was conducted separately within each topical domain, the 4 identity statuses did match the 4 factors. A comparison between Arabic and American participants revealed that Arabic adolescents score higher in the foreclosure identity status.