Psychometric Properties of the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) in the Elderly

Changes in the lives of the elderly can have profound effects on the lives of the elderly and their mental health. If one is flexible and adaptable, one can cope more with these changes. The present study was conducted to investigate the psychometric properties of the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) in the elderly. The present study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of method. The statistical population of the present study included the elderly in the empty nest in Tehran in 2021. Among them, 278 eligible people who volunteered to participate in the study were selected as a sample by the sampling method and the Simmons and Gaher distress tolerance questionnaire (2005) responded. The results of exploratory factor analysis using the principal components method, in addition to the general factor of anxiety tolerance, confirmed four factors (tolerance, absorption, evaluation and regulation) for the anxiety tolerance questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire and confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine its factor validity. The results showed that the questionnaire has an acceptable internal consistency and the reliability coefficients of the distress tolerance questionnaire are between 0.64 and 0.82. Also, the total reliability coefficient of the questionnaire is equal to 0.89. Confirmatory factor analysis was also used to determine factor validity. The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirm that the structure of the questionnaire has an acceptable fit with the data and all goodness indicators of the fit confirm the model. Therefore, considering the desirable psychometric properties, this questionnaire is a suitable tool for determining Distress Tolerance tolerance.