Psychometric Properties of the Existential Concerns Questionnaire

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student in Psychology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Rahele.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities,Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Department, of Psychology- Tarbiat Modares University -Tehran-Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Existential anxiety is an expression of involvement with ultimate concerns such as death, meaninglessness, loneliness, guilt, freedom, responsibility, and the question of who we are. Considering the need for an appropriate tool to measure existential concerns and the methodological flaws of existing tools in Iranian society, this research aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Existential Concerns Questionnaire.
Method: The current research employs a descriptive-evaluative method. In this study, 215 Iranian adults aged 18 to 80 years were selected using a convenience sampling method. They completed an online questionnaire that included the Existential Concerns Questionnaire, Death Attitude Profile-Revised, NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. The instrument's validity was assessed through construct validity and concurrent validity. Reliability was evaluated using internal consistency methods, calculating Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients. The statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using the lavaan package in R (version 4.3.2).
Results: Results from the confirmatory factor analysis support the unifactorial structure of the scale. The significance of the factor loadings, along with the Fornell and Larcker criteria, demonstrated satisfactory convergent validity for the instrument. Additionally, the positive and significant correlations between existential concerns and fear of death, neuroticism, intolerance of uncertainty, and the search for meaning, as well as the negative and significant correlation between existential concerns and the presence of meaning, confirmed the instrument's concurrent validity. The values for both Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients were reported as 0.77.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results indicate that the Persian version of the Existential Concerns Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing existential anxieties.

Keywords

References

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