English Trans-Adaptation and Content Validity Testing of the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PPQ-E) Among Rural Youth

Abstract

Background: Psychological capital (PsyCap), the combination of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is gaining relevance for understanding youth life satisfaction and wellbeing. Typically a variety of unidimensional scales are used to measure PsyCap in mental health studies with English-speaking youth, limiting the ability to compare results across studies. The Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PPQ) is a multi-dimensional tool developed with Asian youth to measure general PsyCap. The purpose of this study is to describe the trans-adaptation process and content validity testing of the PPQ in English (PPQ-E) and to describe how rural US youth feel about discussing items on the scale. Methods: An iterative process of trans-adaptation was utilized to establish content validity, including forward-backward translation by the original scale developer, advisory forums with a diverse rural teen council, and expert panel review. Written notes and dictated field notes were taken during and following the teen advisory council (TAC) meeting. Content validity index scores for item and total scale clarity and relevance were computed using frequencies. Results: The majority of items on the 26-item PPQ-E received minor modifications based on TAC feedback. Qualitative feedback demonstrated validity of items and that this activity was a positive experience. Conclusion: This study describes a rigorous process of trans-adaptation of a scale to measure general PsyCap for use with rural US youth. The next step for the PPQ-E is to further test the scale with a large sample of rural US youth.