Cultural and Racial Experiences of Socialization Scale (CARES)
Measures the frequency and nature of racial socialization messages received by African American youth and young adults.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Cultural and Racial Experiences of Socialization Scale (CARES) was developed by Krystal L. Bentley-Edwards & Howard C. Stevenson (2013). It is designed to measure Racial Socialization. The scale is intended for use with African American adolescents and young adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 35 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Racial Protection, Cultural Insights, Racial Stereotyping, Bicultural Coping, Old School Basics.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Racial Protection | 6,10,19,23,30,33 | 6 |
| Cultural Insights | 1,2,3,17,21,24,29 | 7 |
| Racial Stereotyping | 4,5,7,11,14,15,18,32,35 | 9 |
| Bicultural Coping | 8,12,22,25,26,27,31 | 7 |
| Old School Basics | 9,13,16,20,28,34 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = A Few Times, 3 = Lots of Times.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 35 to 105. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Exposure to Socialization Messages: 35 – 58
- Moderate Exposure to Socialization Messages: 59 – 82
- High Exposure to Socialization Messages: 83 – 105
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Racial Protection (.75), Cultural Insights (.78), Racial Stereotyping (.48), Bicultural Coping (.60), Old School Basics (.56).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.