Psychometric Characteristics of the Persian Version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS-PV) in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Boredom is a psychological phenomenon resulting in diverse side-effects. Mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to the specific characteristics of their child are in conditions that are likely to develop this phenomenon. Therefore, measuring this variable as the first step to treatment is necessary. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating psychometric characteristics of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS-PV) in mothers of children with ASD.
The present study was a cross-sectional and validation study which was carried out in Isfahan city in 2015. The population includes all mothers of children with ASD in the city of Isfahan. The sample size of the research also included 150 participants selected using the convenience sampling method. After investigating content validity of MSBS-PV, correlation of scores with the total score and correlation of subcomponents were used to for material analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the scale. Criterion validity was obtained using comparison of mothers of children with and without ASD. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and test-retest method were used to determine internal consistency of MSBS-PV and reliability, respectively.
The minimum and maximum of the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were as 0.8 and 1 and Content Validity Index (CVI) was 0.93. All items with the total score and subcomponents with each other had positive and significant correlation. The results of factor analysis indicated that the scale is constructed with five factors totally explaining 67.72% of the variance of the scale. In addition, there was a significant difference between mean scores of the MSBS-PV in the two groups of mothers of children with and without ASD (p˂0.001). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the total questionnaire was 0.92 and the test-retest coefficient was 0.71.
The findings of the present study indicated that the MSBS-PV has an acceptable validity and reliability. Consequently, it can be used as a research and clinical instrument in families of children with ASD, caregivers, and other individuals involved with patient in one way or another.