Background: Attitudes to the aging process are affected by the individual's sociocultural background. The measurement of this important concept among older people in various societies requires the use of tools that are able to demonstrate both reliability and validity.
Objective: The objectives of this study were to translate and validate the Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire (AAQ) and investigate its psychometric features among Iranian older people.
Methods: In this methodological study, the Farsi version of the AAQ was validated among 400 Iranian older adults who were members of citizen clubs in an urban area of Iran. Content, face and construct (exploratory factor analysis) validities of the AAQ were assessed. In addition, its reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency and stability. For discriminant validity, the discriminant power of the AAQ in terms of gender and education levels was evaluated. Criterion validity showed a significant correlation between the most subscales of the AAQ and the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.
Results: The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity of the AAQ. The result of the test-retest reliability with a 2-week interval was satisfactory and reported as r=0.90 (p<0.001). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was reported as 0.75 for the whole instrument and 0.85-0.93 for its dimensions. There were associations between the AAQ subscales, SF-36 quality of life (r=0.56, p<0.001) and WHOQOL-BREF (r=0.78, p<0.001), indicating an appropriate convergent validity. The ability to discriminate between male and female participants and those with lower and higher education levels was demonstrated, thus lending support to claims for adequate known-group validity.
Conclusion: The Farsi version of the AAQ showed favorable validity and reliability. Therefore, it can be used for assessing attitudes toward aging among older adults.
Keywords: Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire; aging; elderly; older adults; psychometrics properties; reliability; validity.