Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Existence Scale

Abstract

The Existence Scale (ES) is a theory-based measure assessing personal fulfillment and finding meaning in life. This study aims to translate the ES into Arabic language and test its psychometric properties in Jordan populations. A methodological design was performed on a convenience sample of 551 participants by three samples of nurses, schoolteachers, and undergraduate students. Data collection was carried out between February and May 2019. Translation and back translation, face validity (Important Score>1.5), content validity ratio (CVR>0.62) and index (CVI/Ave>0.80), construct, convergent, and discriminant validity were obtained. Furthermore, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, and average variance extracted were investigated in this study. The results showed that five items were deleted based on content validity ratio and four items were deleted based on their low factor loading. The exploratory factor analysis showed four subscales for the translated ES (37 items), explaining 61.57% of the variance collectively. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the four subscales with acceptable goodness of fit indices. The result of the total Cronbach’s alpha for the ES was 0.93, and for subscales it ranged from 0.88 to 0.93. Composite reliability and average variance extracted results for the translated ES were supportive of the reliability. These results confirm that the translated Arabic version of the ES (37 items) in Jordan populations is acceptable regarding validity and reliability.