Validation of the Persian version of Aging Perceptions Questionnaire (APQ)

Aging perception is recognized as one of the important circles associated with the problems of the elderly. Aging perception Questionnaire (APQ) is one of the common tools that measures agin perception. The purpose of this study was to validate the Persian version of the APQ.
This was a methodological study and was conducted on 200 elderly people. After translating and obtaining opinions of Persian literature and gerentologist experts, the content and face validity of the questionnaire were determined qualitatively. Then, the validity of the aging perception questionnaire was assessed through convergent validity (correlation test between the Persian version of the APQ and CASP-19 questionnaire) and known group comparison (comparing male and female perception). Reliability was evaluated using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and stability (ICC).
The known group comparison showed that the instrument discriminated well between men and women where men significantly scored higher than women. Convergent validity showed a significant correlation between the Persian version of the APQ and CASP-19 questionnaires. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the dimensions and total questionnaire was between 0.64 and 0.81. Test-retest reliability (ICC) of the questionnaire with a two-week interval was between 0.65 and 0.96.
The findings indicated that the Persian version of the APQ Questionnaire is a valid instrument and can be used in a variety of situations, including clinical and research environments.