Validation of the multidimensional sense of humor scale in people with chronic kidney disease

Abstract

Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS) was developed by Thorson and Powell and it was validated in Portuguese, but not in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study examined the psychometrics of the MSHS in people with CKD on hemodialysis. A random sample of 171 people with CKD undergoing hemodialysis was selected. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a structure with three factors, “Humor Production and Social Use of Humor”, “Adaptive Humor and Appreciation Humor” and “Attitude Towards Humor”, with Alpha Cronbach values of 0.93, 0.90 and 0.83 respectively. It revealed stability in both interview and questionnaire methods. It showed moderate positive correlations with Positive Affect, Subjective Happiness and Wellbeing Personal Index, and moderate negative correlation with Negative Affect. Therefore, MSHS shows evidence of being a valid, reliable and reproducible scale either by questionnaire or interview.