Validation of Urdu Interaction with Disabled Persons scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Disability Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities are crucial for social inclusion.
• Existing measures may not be culturally appropriate for diverse linguistic groups.
• Validating Urdu-language instruments is essential for research in Pakistan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an Urdu translation of the Interaction with Disabled Persons (IDP) scale.
• To assess attitudes toward individuals with physical disabilities in a Pakistani context.
• To ensure cultural relevance and psychometric properties of the translated scale.

Main Methods:

• Translation and back-translation of the IDP scale from English to Urdu.
• Expert committee review for cultural validity.
• Factor analysis and reliability testing (Cronbach's alpha) on data from 591 Urdu-speaking participants.

Main Results:

• The Urdu IDP scale demonstrated good construct validity through factor analysis, extracting four factors explaining 55% of the variance.
• These factors aligned with those identified in previous international studies.
• Moderate internal consistency was reported using Cronbach's alpha.

Conclusions:

• The developed Urdu IDP scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing attitudes toward physical disability in Pakistan.
• This instrument facilitates culturally sensitive research on disability attitudes within Urdu-speaking populations.
• The findings support the cross-cultural applicability of the IDP scale with appropriate translation and validation.