Intersectional Discrimination Index: Initial stages of cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

Objective: To perform the cross-cultural adaptation of Intersectional Discrimination Index (InDI) into Brazilian Portuguese. InDI assesses the health impacts of intersectional experiences with anticipated (InDI-A), day-to-day (InDI-D), and major (InDI-M) discrimination. Methods: The following steps were taken: (1) independent translations; (2) synthesis of translations; (3) evaluation by an expert committee; (4) analysis by members of the target population; (5) back translation; and (6) pre-test. Based on the evaluation by the expert committee, the content validity coefficient (CVC) was calculated for each item and for the entire instrument. CVC helped identify which items needed adjustments according to the criteria of language clarity, theoretical relevance, and practical relevance. Results: Of the 31 items, 24 were considered adequate and seven required further language adjustments. CVC values were satisfactory for clarity (CVCt=0.86), practical relevance (CVCt=0.87), and theoretical pertinence (CVCt=0.87); a good level of understanding was reported by the target population (mean=4.44; standard deviation=1.36). The average response time was 15.5 minutes, and no additional difficulties in interpreting the items were reported. The back-translated InDI was approved by the original authors of the instrument. Conclusion: The initial stages of the cross-cultural adaptation process showed that the use of InDI looks promising in Brazil. Further studies still need to examine the psychometric properties of the instrument to confirm the positive results of our work, as well as its usefulness for assessing the health impacts of intersectional experiences with discrimination.