Psychometric Properties of the Malay Version of Peer Pressure Scale Questionnaire-Revised

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a critical period of transition from childhood to adulthood and involves changes in a child’s biological, emotional, and social aspects. An adolescent’s behavior and actions are largely impacted by peer pressure. The Peer Pressure Scale Questionnaire-Revised (PPSQ-r) is a tool for assessing the susceptibility of adolescents to peer pressure. Aims: This study aimed to translate and validate PPSQ-r for examining the impact of peer pressure among Malaysian adolescents. Methods: A forward-backward translation was executed in accordance with the established guidelines. The face validity of the questionnaire was assessed by a panel of experts from the relevant fields. 25 items of the questionnaire were tested for principal component analysis (PCA), and internal consistency was appraised via Cronbach’s α. Results: A total of 143 respondents among selected secondary school students were used in this study. The age range of the respondents was 13 to 18 years, with a mean age of 15 (SD = 1.316). One component was extracted via PCA, and one item was removed because of poor factor loading. 24 retained items exhibited excellent reliability with Cronbach’s α value of 0.932. The mean score for the PPSQ-r Malay version was 42.88 (SD = 16.57). Conclusion: PPSQ-r Malay version is reliable and valid as a peer pressure assessment tool among adolescents in Malaysia. However, the development of the norms based on the Malaysian adolescent population is recommended for risk classifications.