Older People’s Technophilia and Technophobia: Methodological Research on the Psychometric Evaluation of the TechPH Scale among an Iranian Population

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aim: Considering the aging of the population, the emergence of numerous technologies and the potential effects that these technologies have on the lives of people, especially elderly people, access to an instrument to measure attitudes toward technology among elderly people is essential. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of psychometrically evaluating the scale for measuring attitudes toward technology (TechPH) in Iranian older people. Methods This methodological study was conducted on 420 older people (60 years old and above) in Tehran in 2024 for a psychometric test of attitudes toward technology scale (TechPH). Validation was carried out through translation validity methods in the form of translation-back translation with bilingual experts (n = 2), face validity with a sample of the older population (n = 10), content validity with a panel of 11 experts and construct validity with EFA and CFA (n = 420). Instrument reliability was determined through test-retest and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) methods with a sample of older people (n = 20). SPSS version 16 and EQS 6.4 software were used for the data analysis. Results A comparison of Farsi and English translations revealed acceptable translation validity and cultural adaptability for the scale. Each item's Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were determined, and the total average CVI was 0.95. The results of the EFA obtained from the KMO showed the adequacy of the sample size (KMO = 0.754) and the Bartlett's sphericity test showed a significant correlation between the items (χ2 = 221.819, df = 15, P < 0.0001). EFA indicated that 2 extracted factors explained 41.002% and 18.111% of the total variance. Also, CFA of the items resulted in a suitable estimate based on the general fit indices of the model (RMSEA = 0.061, IFI = 0.979, GFI = 0.983, CFI = 0.978 CMIN/DF = 1.769, MFI = 0.989, AGFI = 0.942). In evaluating the test-retest stability and internal consistency, the values of Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's α were 0.922 and 0.765, respectively, which indicated the appropriate reliability of the scale. Conclusion IR.TechPH, the first Persian version of the scale for measuring technophilia and technophobia among Iranian older people, has favorable psychometric properties and can be used as a standard tool to measure older people’s attitudes toward technology in different studies.