Psychometric Properties and dimensionality of the Spanish version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire for children (PAQ; Rohner y Khaleque, 2005), as well as to analyze its dimensionality. 469 subjects from several public schools in different Spanish cities whose ages ranged from 9 to 16 took part in the study (Mean age: 13.11; SD: 2.5). After carrying out a confirmatory factor analysis of the instrument, the dimensional structure of the original version of the PAQ was corroborated. Additionally, results reveale an adequate internal consistency for the global score (α= .82) as well as for each single dimension. Crierion validity was also significant, confirming the results obtained in previous research. Data related to convergent validity using the main dimensions of the Youth Self Report (YSR; Achenbach y Rescorla, 2001) suggest it is appropriate. Further studies will focus on examining in depth the level of discrimination of the instrument by means of criterial groups as well as its usefulness within different age groups. The stability of the PAQ over time should also be examined.