Validity and Reliability of Persian Version of the Perth A-Loneness Scale in Iranian Adolescents.

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The present study was carried out with the aim of translating and psychometrically assessing the 24-item version of the Perth A-Loneness Scale. Methods: This methodological cross-sectional study was carried out between January 2023 and August 2024. Adolescents from public schools in Tehran City were recruited for this study. The Perth A-Loneness Scale was translated into Persian. Subsequently, the validity (content and construct) and reliability of this scale were assessed. Results: The exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure for the scale, accounting for 51.7% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that all goodness-of-fit indices supported the model fit (minimum discrepancy function [CMIN]/df = 2.082, goodness-of-fit index = 0.980, incremental fit index = 0.982, comparative fit index = 0.980, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.964, relative fit index = 0.968, and Root mean square error of approximation = .073) (95% confidence interval: [.063, .082]). After careful evaluation, all coefficients of internal consistency were deemed acceptable (α = .762 and McDonald's omega = 0.756). Conclusions: In the present context, the translation and validation of the Perth A-Loneness Scale among Iranian adolescents revealed that it has a four-factor structure, reliability, and validity to estimate the degree of loneliness among adolescents.