Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire in Students

Interpersonal needs (thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness) have an important role in the mental health of people. The aim of this research was to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the Interpersonal needs questionnaire. The study method was Survey Research. The statistical community included of all college students in Ardabil city (11.000) that 500 students have been chosen as a sample by available sampling. The research instrument was the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), The Short Defeat and Entrapment Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, adverse childhood Experiences scale and generalized anxiety disorder questionnaire. For analyzing data, Pearson correlation coefficient and factor analysis were used. Confirmatory factor analysis with 12 questions and a two-factor model showed that a good fit between the data and the model is considered. Therefore, this questionnaire was approved with 15 questions and two factors of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness to assess interpersonal needs in the Iranian student community. Factor analysis showed that the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire has a good fit for the Iranian population. In addition, components of interpersonal needs have a significant correlation with adverse childhood experiences, depression, anxiety and defeat and entrapment and indicate concurrent validity of this scale. Considering these results, it can be concluded that this questionnaire can be used for recognizing mental problems such as loneliness and Isolation, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, valuably and importance in person and for predicting possible harm such as suicide and destructive behaviors.