Investigating the psychometric properties of pathological concern questionnaire in Indian emerging adults

Abstract

Background: The Pathological Concern Questionnaire (PCQ) measures thoughts, emotions, and actions based on attitudes, including repression of personal needs and overinvestment in satisfaction of others’ needs. The PCQ is widely used in the literature, but its psychometric properties are not well-established in the Indian population. Aim: The current study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of PCQ among emerging adults in India. Materials and Methods: The data were collected from 252 emerging adults, aged between 18 and 29 years using PCQ. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to analyse the data. Internal reliability was computed using Cronbach’s alpha and correlational analysis was conducted to examine the convergent and discriminant validity. Results: The statistical findings supported an acceptable goodness of fit for PCQ in India. PCQ showed an adequate internal consistency (α = 0.903). In addition, correlational analyses supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the PCQ. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the PCQ is a valid and reliable instrument to measure pathological concern among Indian emerging adults.

Keywords

• confirmatory factor analysis
• emerging adults
• pathological concern
• reliability