Validity and reliability of the Persian version of the machiavellian personality scale and its association with social adjustment and risky behaviors in Iranian college students

Abstract

Abstract Objective The present study aims to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Machiavellian Personality Scale (P-MPS), and evaluate its relationship with social adjustment and risky behaviors in Iranian college students. Methods Participants were 500 healthy college students (270 females and 230 males) from medical and non-medical universities in Sanandaj, Iran. They completed the P-MPS, the social adjustment subscale of the Bell Adjustment Inventory, and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) questionnaire. The factor structure of the P-MPS was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency of the P-MPS and Pearson correlation test was used to investigate the relationship of the P-MPS score with the scores of social adjustment subscale and YRBSS. Results The P-MPS showed good content validity (Content validity ratio = 0.73, content validity index = 0.90), construct validity, and internal consistency (α = 0.802). The CFA results supported the four-factor solution of the questionnaire. The total score of P-MPS and its dimensions showed a significant negative relationship with social adjustment (p < 0.05). Moreover, its score was significantly correlated with risky behaviors (p < 0.05). Conclusion The Persian version of MPS can be used for assessing Machiavellianism in the Iranian population.