Psychometric properties of anxiety about aging scale among Malaysian youths

Abstract

The Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) is a questionnaire developed based multidimensional aging anxiety to measure anxiety towards aging. However, the AAS constructs and items vary depending on study population. This study aimed to explore the validity and reliability of AAS through evaluation of exploratory factor Analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) among youths in Malaysia. A cross-sectional was conducted among 1988 university and college students in Klang Valley, Malaysia, selected using stratified proportionate random sampling. EFA results suggested four factors solution based on the interpretation of Eigenvalues and scree plot with 59.11% variance extracted. Results of CFA supported the four-factor model of revised 17-item AAS with acceptable model fit indices and high factor loading. The revised 17-item AAS has a good reliability through the assessment of internal consistency of the items. In conclusion, the revised 17-item AAS measures four distinct factors is a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure anxiety towards aging among Malaysian youths.