Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of the Anticipatory Processing Questionnaire in an Iranian Student Population
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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Anticipatory Processing Questionnaire (APQ) in an Iranian student population.
Methods and Materials: This psychometric study was conducted on 345 university students in Tehran in 2025 selected through convenience sampling. The APQ was translated using a forward-backward procedure and administered online along with the Mistake Rumination Scale and the Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on 345 participants, confirmatory factor analysis on 200 participants, and test-retest reliability on 48 participants after four weeks.
Findings: Sampling adequacy and sphericity supported factor analysis (KMO = 0.91; χ²(136) = 3394.31, p < .001). Exploratory factor analysis yielded a one-factor structure with an eigenvalue of 7.57, explaining 44.58% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit (χ²(119) = 498, p < .001; CFI = 0.977; TLI = 0.974; RMSEA = 0.093; SRMR = 0.087). One item with a non-significant loading was removed. Convergent validity was supported by a positive correlation with mistake rumination (r = .582, p < .001), while divergent validity was supported by a negative correlation with mindfulness (r = −.561, p < .001). Reliability indices were satisfactory (α = .921; CR = .882; ω = .930; AVE = .501), and test-retest reliability was acceptable (r = .763, p < .001).
Conclusion: The Persian APQ demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability and can be used as a suitable instrument for assessing anticipatory processing in Iranian student populations.
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