Psychometric Properties of Persian Version of the Amphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire Version 2 (AWQV2) in Patients with Methamphetamine-Type Substance Use Disorder

No standard self-report instrument for withdrawal symptoms is available in Iran.

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the 10-item Amphetamine Withdrawal questionnaire version 2 (AWQV2).

A sample of 388 methamphetamine addicts (215 females and 173 males) referred to addiction recovery centers and psychiatric ward of Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah. A two-stage random sampling method was used. The reliability and internal consistency of the AWQV2 items were examined using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest reliability, respectively, and the instrument validity of the AWQV2 was measured using construct validity and convergent validity.

The AWQV2 had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.72. Factor analysis using the main component analysis with a varimax rotation introduced three factors of hyperarousal, anxiety, and reversed vegetative symptoms. These factors explained 0.58 of the total variance. The coefficient of test-retest reliability at a 2-week interval was equal to 0.77. The convergent validity of the AWQV2 was examined by simultaneously administering the Advanced Warning of Relapse (AWARE) questionnaire to 40 subjects, with a correlation coefficient of 0.81.

Based on the results, the AWQV2 has very good psychometric properties and may be used in research and therapeutic interventions.