Testing the Reliability and Validity of the Index of Attitudes Toward Homosexuals (IAH) in Australia

Abstract

Previous researchers have used a modified version of the Index of Attitudes toward Homosexuals (IAH; Hudson & Ricketts, 1980) and have reported their own reliability coefficients but relied on the authors' original validity data (Serdahely & Ziemba, 1984; Whitley, 1987; Ernulf, Innala, & Whitam, 1989; Rudolph, 1989, 1990). In order to determine if the IAH was a reliable and valid instrument in Australia, the psychometrics of this test were examined using a student population of comparable size to Hudson and Ricketts's sample. It was expected that the 150 students (92 males and 58 females) would respond in much the same way as their US counterparts. This research found the IAH to be reliable (r = .94) and valid for Australian populations and is a recommended instrument for measuring attitudes toward homosexual people.