Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire-24 (PCQ–24) in a Military Unit

Psychological capital is a positive psychological capacity, which includes four components of self-efficacy, hope, resilience and optimism. The Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) is the most commonly used measure for assessing psychological capital in work settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire–24 (PCQ–24).

This study is descriptive and psychometric research. The statistical population of this study was one of the military units based in Tehran. From this population, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 310 people were selected by the available sampling method. The instruments used were the 24-item Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ–24), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42), and the Generic Job Satisfaction Scale (GJSS). The factor structure of the questionnaire was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Also, divergent validity was assessed with the DASS-42 questionnaire, and convergent validity was assessed with the job satisfaction questionnaire and in order to determine the reliability, test-retest methods and calculation of Cronbach's alpha coefficient were used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-25 and AMOS-22 software.

The results of confirmatory factor analysis determined a hierarchical model that four first-order factors are explained by a higher-order factor (Psychological Capital; χ2/df=1.46, GFI=0.90, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.99, RMSEA=0.03). The correlation of the total score of Psychological Capital with depression (-0.54), anxiety (-0.40), stress (-0.40), and job satisfaction (0.49) was significant (P<0.01). Also, the internal consistency of the factors assessed by Cronbach's alpha method was from 0.85 to 0.89, and the test-retest reliability after a 4-week interval was confirmed (Psychological Capital: r=0.80, P<0.01).

Based on the present study results, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ–24) is a suitable tool with good psychometric properties among personnel.