A Validation of the Perceived Negative Context of Reception Scale With Recently-Arrived Venezuelan Immigrants in Colombia and the United States

Objectives:Millions of Venezuelans have left their country in search of safety and stability in the United States (U.S.) and Colombia, two countries where recent increases in anti-immigrant rhetoric and sentiment have occurred. The Perceived Negative Context of Reception Scale captures the degree to which immigrants report feeling that people from their country are unwanted/marginalized within their new receiving context. In the present study, we examine the psychometric properties of the Perceived Negative Context of Reception Scale with recent Venezuelan immigrant adolescents and adults in the U.S. and Colombia. Method: We conducted confirmatory factor analysis using data from the Colombia and Miami’s Newest Arrivals (CAMINAR) Study, which collected data from Venezuelan adults in Bogotá, Colombia, and South Florida in October–November 2017, and the Venezolanos en Nuevos Entornos (VENE) Youth Project which surveyed Venezuelan youth living in Florida between November 2018 and July 2019. Results: We found that the negative context of reception evidenced strong psychometric properties among immigrants in both the U.S. and in Colombia, among adolescents and adults, and among male and female respondents. We also found that negative context of reception scores was associated with elevated scores on criterion-related factors—that is, perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms—in ways that are theoretically coherent and support measure validity. Conclusion: We provide new evidence that the Perceived Negative Context of Reception scale is reliable and valid for use with Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S.