Psychometric Properties of the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment in Iranian Adolescents

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the mental health and social inadaptation measurement in Iranian adolescents. Methods The study was cross-sectional and was conducted in two separate phases. The sample of the study’s first phase included 604 students of Islamshahr City, Iran (the academic year 2019-2020) who were selected by the cluster sampling method. The study’s second phase was conducted on 44 adolescents referred to medical centers in Tehran City, Iran, and was selected by a convenient sampling method. Data collection questionnaires were the mental health and social inadaptation assessment (MIA) and the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, the Cronbach α coefficient, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results Of the study supported 1- and 2-factor structures for all psychopathology scales. The Cronbach α coefficient of scales ranged from 0.73 to 0.94 except for eating disorder and psychopathy scales (α=0.57). The test-retest reliability of most scales was moderate to high (0.51 Conclusion The MIA holds promises to give valid and reliable results in screening adolescents’ problems. However, the psychometric properties of the three scales of psychopathy (such as the original version), eating disorders, and eating-related dysfunction were not supported in this study.