Construct Validity, Dimensionality, and Internal Consistency of Psycho-social Questionnaires in Indian Young Adults: A Cross-sectional EFA-PCA-based Study.

Abstract

Background: Self-report questionnaires assessing psycho-social constructs such as values, empathy, personality, mindfulness and resting-state cognition are widely used in psychological research. Given India's collectivistic cultural orientation-emphasising interdependence and social harmony-these instruments may function differently than in Western settings.

Purpose: This study evaluated five widely used instruments-the Revised Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ-RR), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), International Personality Item Pool's Big Five Inventory (IPIP-BFI), and Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire (ARSQ)-to determine their construct validity, internal consistency, and construct dimensionality within an Indian university student sample.

Methods: A sample of 580 Indian university students (291 females; M = 22.5 ± 4.45 years) completed self-report questionnaires-PVQ-RR, IRI, IPIP-BFI and FFMQ-whose internal consistency, factorial validity, and structural deviations were examined employing Internal Consistency, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) measures. Besides, a subsample (N = 97) undergoing a one-hour meditation intervention completed the ARSQ to assess similar construct metrics in a state mindfulness context.

Results: FFMQ exhibited strong construct validity, reinforcing its five-factor structure and supporting its applicability in collectivistic Indian settings. IRI demonstrated near-optimal validity, with Empathic Concern (EC) and Perspective Taking (PT) showing expected conceptual overlap; overall, reinforcing the sole employment of EC and PT for assessing trait empathy. PVQ-RR exhibited circumplexity consistent with Schwartz's model but revealed cultural deviations in value clustering. ARSQ showed moderate structural alignment, while the IPIP-BFI displayed poor structural validity due to cross-loadings and interpretational inconsistencies.

Conclusion: The findings provided an evaluation of the construct validity, internal consistency, and dimensionality of standardised psycho-social instruments in an Indian adult-educated cohort. FFMQ and IRI provided strong support for their theoretical foundations, whereas the PVQ-RR and ARSQ exhibited deviations related to cultural and cognitive-affective factors, respectively. In contrast, the IPIP-BFI necessitated significant future modifications for the Indian usage context.