Reliability and validity of the attitudes to ageing questionnaire for Canadian and Norwegian older adults

Abstract

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 75–85 Reliability and validity of the attitudes to ageing questionnaire for Canadian and Norwegian older adults The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ), a new scale designed for cross‐cultural comparisons of older adults. There are currently very few measures intended to measure the attitudes of older adults to their own ageing. The instrument was designed as part of a larger study to develop a measure of quality of life (QOL) of older adults and to assess factors related to QOL; it was hypothesized that attitudes to ageing would be related to QOL. Canadian (n = 202) and Norwegian (n = 490) data were used. In both study samples, a series of correlation analyses indicated that item scores correlated most strongly with their parent subscales ( r =0.42–0.79; p < 0.01). Acceptable internal consistency was shown (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70 or greater for all subscales). In a confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), all 24 items in the AAQ were retained (p < 0.001); the observed lack of goodness of fit and residual covariance patterns provided empirical support, in part, for the construct validity of the AAQ. Patterns of correlations of the AAQ subscales with WHOQOL‐OLD facets, WHOQOL‐BREF domains, a global QoL item and GDS scores provided evidence of convergent and divergent validity. Nonsignificant correlations were found between psychological growth and two facets of the WHOQOL‐OLD in the Canadian sample. Subscale scores also significantly discriminated between healthy and unhealthy groups. Further validation of the scale among older people, across countries, is recommended.