Psychometric Characteristics of Nostalgia-Proneness in Students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2015

Nostalgia-Proneness is defined as a state of eager joy and happiness mixed with sadness. Students who are non-native to a region and are away from their families tend to experience a sense of "homesickness" that is associated with nostalgia for several reasons such as being unfamiliar with the university environment or the culture of the region. Therefore, given the role of nostalgia in the personal, interpersonal and mental health, it is essential to measure this variable among college students. The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Nostalgia-Proneness scale in the students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.
The present study was a cross-sectional validation research effort. It was conducted in 2015 on a group of 203 of medical students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences who were selected through convenient sampling. After investigating content validity of Nostalgia-Proneness scale, the correlations between the scores and the overall score and the subscales were used. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine the factor structure of the scale. Finally, internal consistency and reliability were established via Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and test-retest, respectively.
Item-score correlations varied from 0.20 to 0.60 and were significant (p The results indicated the instrument enjoys sufficient reliability and validity among students. Therefore, the scale can be used in students of medical sciences.