Development and Validation of Responses to Personal Mortality Measure

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Responses to Personal Mortality Measure (RPMM), a new self-report tool to assess existential skills in relating to personal mortality. Items reflecting responses to personal mortality were generated and then selected through a rating process. They were further refined using Three-Step Test Interviews (TSTI). The psychometric properties of 91 items were explored with an online sample of 869 respondents, randomly divided into an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) subsamples. Through EFA, six factors were obtained: Emotional Response, Self-Oriented Acceptance, Transcendental Acceptance, Relational Acceptance, Relief Acceptance, and Avoidance. Internal consistency coefficients ranged between .90 and .97 ( M = .94). The six-factor model showed good fit statistics in traditional and bifactor CFAs. The construct and incremental validity were supported by relationships with the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB-42); the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ); the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21); the Existential Death Anxiety Scale (EDAS); and the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ). The RPMM is a self-report tool of responses to personal mortality that can be used to evaluate the relationship between existential skills and psychological wellbeing. Further research is needed to examine the psychometric properties of the RPMM in a clinical sample.