Is the “Almost Perfect Scale” Almost Perfect? The Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of APS-R and Its Short Form

Abstract

The goal was to evaluate the construct and predictive validity of the Arabic version of APS-R and check its invariance across genders and the English version supplied by one of the measure authors. We used its translated Arabic version, and measures of PTSD, complex PTSD (CTD), depression, and existential annihilation anxiety (AA), in a sample of 620 students from two Egyptian Universities. We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the APS-R’s construct validity and zero-order correlation, curve estimation regression to test its predictive validity, and Multigroup invariance analysis to check its invariance between languages and genders. The three-factor model did not fit well which made its structural validity questionable. However, the model fitted well for each dimension separately. The results indicated that striving for standards and order, and self-discrepancy are distinct measures, and each has good construct and predictive validity. Order and standards predicted linearly and non-linearly lower PTSD, CTD (post-cumulative trauma disorders), depression, and AA. Self-discrepancy predicted linearly and non-linearly higher depression, PTSD, CTD, and AA. The non-linear models accounted for more variance than the linear models. While the measures were strongly invariant across genders, they were partially invariant across the English and Arabic samples.