Dr. DeGruy has also developed the African American Male Youth Respect Scale. This scale measures the relationship between present and historical issues of respect in relationship to the use of violence among this population.

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OBJECTIVES
The respect that African American youth feel promotes psychological wellness and social identity; conversely, a lack of respect compromises their identities and is viewed as a threat to safety. This method describes the development, psychometric analysis, and validation of the African American Respect Scale, a 20–item instrument measuring prosocial attitudes held by male adolescents.

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METHODS
The scale was administered to 200 African American male youth, 14 to 19 years of age; 100 were incarcerated in juvenile corrections facilities; and 100 resided in the community.

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RESULTS
After acceptable reliability was established, factor analysis revealed three principal components labeled societal, family, and peer subscales. The subscales correlated with racial socialization and predicted the use of violence. Non–incarcerated youth scored significantly higher on all three subscales than incarcerated youth.

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CONCLUSIONS
Suggestions for social work practice with African American youth include assessing their attitudes toward respect, and assisting them to handle disrespect without resorting to violence.

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For more information on the Respect Scale, click below:

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The African American Adolescent Respect Scale

The African American Adolescent Respect Scale: A Measure of a Prosocial Attitude