Psychometric validation of the addiction potential questionnaire among Iranian children aged 12-18 years using...

Drug addiction is a global social and health issue, with children being the most vulnerable group. This study aimed to validate the Addiction Potential Questionnaire for Iranian children aged 12 to 18 years using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 on 600 students from Shiraz, Iran, using multi-stage sampling (stratified-cluster-simple random sampling). The Addiction Potential Questionnaire used in this study was originally developed by the research team to assess addiction potential among Iranian children. Construct validity was assessed through CFA, along with convergent and discriminant validity, and SEM. The reliability of the tool was calculated using Cronbach's alpha, intra-class correlation coefficient, and composite reliability.

Results from CFA indicated a χ²/df ratio of 2.80. Additional fit indices also confirmed a good fit for the final model, including goodness-of-fit index (GFI=0.9), parsimonious comparative fit index (PCFI=0.74), and comparative fit index (CFI=0.8). Assessing convergent and discriminant validity revealed that all dimensions met acceptable standards. SEM results showed strong positive relationships among latent variables, with correlations of 0.82 between environmental-social-spiritual (ESS) and physical-psychological, and 0.98 between ESS and Other (P<0.001). The reliability indices for each factor were as follows: Other: Cronbach's alpha (α)=0.46, Omega (composite reliability, CR)=0.43, Maximal reliability (Max(R))=0.44, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) [95% confidence interval (CI)]=0.74 (0.64-0.81), Akaike information criterion (AIC)=0.12. Family: α=0.70, CR=0.72, Max(R)=0.73, ICC [95% CI]=0.72 (0.61-0.79), AIC=0.24. Physical-psychological: α=0.80, CR=0.82, Max(R)=0.83, ICC [95% CI]=0.84 (0.78-0.88), AIC=0.35. ESS: α=0.61, CR=0.60, Max(R)=0.66, ICC [95% CI]=0.69 (0.58-0.78), AIC=0.13. Total Questionnaire: α=0.89, CR=0.85, Max(R)=0.86, ICC [95% CI]=0.88 (0.83-0.91), AIC=0.39.

The results indicated that the tool possesses good validity and reliability, making it a credible instrument for assessing addiction potential in Iranian children and for developing preventive programs.