# Advancing intersectional discrimination measures for health disparities research

> **NIH NIH R21** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $404,878

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Guided by intersectionality frameworks, health disparities researchers have documented health disparities at
the intersection of multiple axes of social status and position (SSP), particularly race/ethnicity, gender, and
sexual orientation. To advance from identifying to intervening upon such intersectional health disparities,
studies that examine underlying mechanisms are required. Much research demonstrates the negative health
impacts of perceived discrimination within single health disparity populations. Quantitative approaches to
assessing the role of discrimination in generating intersectional health disparities remain in their infancy,
however. Members of our team recently introduced the Intersectional Discrimination Index (InDI) to address
this gap. The InDI comprises three measures of enacted (day-to-day and major) and anticipated discrimination;
these attribution-free measures ask about experiences of mistreatment “because of who you are.” These
measures show promise for intersectional health disparities research but require further validation across
intersectional groups and languages. Additionally, the proposal to remove attributions is controversial and no
direct comparison has been conducted. Therefore, this study aims to (1) cognitively and (2)
psychometrically evaluate the Intersectional Discrimination Index (InDI) in English and Spanish and (3)
determine whether attributions should be included. Study aims will draw on three original sequentially
collected sources of data: (a) Qualitative cognitive interviews in English and Spanish (n=50) with a sample
purposively recruited across intersecting SSP (gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, socio-economic
status, age, nativity); (b) a Spanish quantitative survey (n=500; 50% SGM); and (c) an English quantitative
survey (n=3000), with quota sampling by race/ethnicity (Black, Latinx, White), SGM status, and gender. The
study's key deliverable will be bilingual measures of anticipated, day-to-day, and major discrimination validated
for multiple health disparity populations using rigorous qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. This
expected outcome will support NIMHD priorities for Health Disparities Science by strengthening measurement
of discrimination in population health research, thereby improving understanding of how it contributes to health
disparities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10402323
- **Project number:** 5R21MD016177-02
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ayden I Scheim
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $404,878
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-05-06 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10402323

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10402323, Advancing intersectional discrimination measures for health disparities research (5R21MD016177-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10402323. Licensed CC0.

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