Reliability, Validity and Factor Structure of Fenigstein Paranoia Scale Urdu Version
Keywords:
Paranoid disorders, factor analysis, statistical, primary health care, PakistanAbstract
Background: Paranoia, the mistrust of others’ motives, is a common sign of many psychological disorders. The Fenigstein Paranoia Scale Urdu (FPSU) is widely used for identifying paranoia in both clinical and non-clinical populations Its Urdu version is widely used and cited in the context of paranoia research in Pakistan. Although it is widely used, no studies have evaluated the factor structure of the scale, which could further validate it.
Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Urdu version of the FPSU for clinical and research purposes in Pakistan.
Methods: This psychometric study was conducted at the University of Karachi, Karahi Pakistan, in June 2024. Validity was established by inter item correlation and factor analysis and the reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha, Spearman Brown coefficient and split half. The correlation between two halves was adequate (r =0.69). Validity was calculated through inter item correlation and factor analysis. Principal component analysis revealed five factors, which correspond to the aspects of paranoia identified in the original scale development study. Factor B accounted for 24.68% of the variance and was therefore the dominant factor of paranoia measured by the FPSU. The scale was found to be theoretically consistent and valid.
Results The research was conducted on a purposive sample of 600 participants (317 males, 283 females). The sample’s mean age was 24.73 years (SD =8.30). The Cronbach's alpha value was .83, indicating a good degree of internal consistency.................
