Factor structure and validity of the substance use motives measure in students

Introduction: Regarding the prevalence of substance abuse among students, this study aimed to validate the Substance Use Motives Measure (SUMM) in this group.   Materials and Methods: The statistical population consisted of all high school students in Kerman city, Iran in 2022. We selected students using the multistage cluster sampling method. Out of 1045 students, 977 answered to the Substance Use Motives Measure (SUMM) and the Farjad’s Addiction Tendency Scale. We used content validity indices, Pearson correlation coefficient, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, Guttman coefficient, and split-half coefficient. The data were analyzed through SPSS-22 and LISREL 8.8 software.   Results: The SUMM had high content and concurrent validity. The results of structural validity showed that the eight-factor model of the SUMM had appropriate fit indices, and this model explained 68.84 percent of the total variance. The results of the internal reliability of the SUMM showed that Cronbach’s alpha and split-half coefficients for the whole scale and its eight factors were in the range of 0.81 to 0.95.   Conclusion: Based on the findings, the Substance Use Motives Measure (SUMM) has appropriate validity and reliability and can be used to assess addiction motives in students.