Psychometric Properties of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire in a Spanish Sample

Abstract

An important question in trait theory is how many major traits are necessary to describe personality and exactly what traits these are. Several investigators have made attempts to answer these questions with solutions of 3, 5, and even 16 primary factors. The Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) is a questionnaire aimed at the evaluation of a five-factor model, which emerged from factor analyses of scales and items. The results were five basic factors, similar in men and women: Neuroticism-Anxiety, Activity, Sociability, Impulsive Sensation-Seeking, and Aggression-Hostility. This study assesses the psychometric properties of the Catalan translation of the ZKPQ. The ZKPQ was administered to a total sample of 933 subjects with an age range from 17 to 25 years. The results obtained show good internal consistency of all the scales and good discriminant validity shown by the lack of correlation among scales. Gender differences are also in the predicted directions. Finally, the replicability of the original five-component structure was also demonstrated. The present findings show this Catalan version to be a reliable tool for research in the field of personality structure and demonstrate the cross-cultural reliability of the factor structure developed from American subjects.