Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of Social Cognitive Scales Related to Substance Use Behavior in Iranian Adolescents

Background: Using cultural-adapted scales and inventories is important both in research and treatment. There is not an Iranian version of social cognitive scales related to substance use behavior. Objectives: The aim of this research was to examine factorial validity and reliability of the Iranian version of social cognitive scales related to adolescent substance use behavior. Patients and Methods: This study was cross-sectional research using astratified, two stage, cluster sampling based on the popuation of different areas of Isfahan city in Iran. 720 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old completed the questionnairs: European Drug Abuse Prevention (EUDAP) and The Peer Influence Scale. The translation and back-translation, and cultural adaptation with face and content validity, were done in the first step. Factorial and construct validity were assessed in 3 steps, including: item analysis, explanatory analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was also assessed with Cronbach’s alph. Results: In the cultural adaption, some of the items were changed or removed according to the experts’ view. The EFA in the cross sectional study showed appropriate loading items and revealed a 23-item scale with 5 factors including: refusal self-efficacy, negative and positive outcome expectancies, intention, and peer influence, which was in line with the original questionnaires. The result of confirmatory factor analysis showed appropriate fit indices for 5 factor model including (x2 = 522, df = 144, x2/ df = 3.6, RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.94, IFI = 0.94, and NFI = 0.92). Internal consistency was found to be in the range of 0.74 to 0.89 for all subscales. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the Persian version of social cognitive determinant appears to be a psychometrically robust instrument and could significantly predict substance use behavior in Iranian adolescents.