Methodology
Participants
The participants in the study consisted of 103 graduate students, comprising 67 males and 36 females. These students were recruited from various academic institutions and disciplines to ensure a diverse sample. The inclusion criteria for participation were being enrolled as a graduate student at the time of the study and being willing to complete the questionnaire measures.
Participants were recruited through convenience sampling methods, such as posting recruitment notices on university bulletin boards, emailing invitations to graduate student mailing lists, and using social media platforms. All participants provided informed consent before participating in the study, and they were assured of the confidentiality and anonymity of their responses.
Scale Development
The development of the Deenz Multidimensional Schizoid Personality Scale (DMSPS-28) involved several key steps to ensure its validity and reliability in measuring multiple facets of schizoid personality. The scale was designed to assess five primary facets: Social detachment, Anhedonia, Blunted affect, Solitude, and Friendlessness. Here's an overview of the scale development process:
- Item Generation: The initial step involved generating a pool of items that reflected the different facets of schizoid personality as defined in existing literature and clinical observations. Items were crafted to cover a range of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with each facet.
- Expert Review: A panel of experts in personality psychology, psychopathology, and clinical assessment reviewed the pool of items to ensure their relevance, clarity, and comprehensiveness in capturing the intended constructs. Feedback from experts was used to refine and revise the items as needed.
- Pilot Testing: A preliminary version of the scale, comprising the selected items, was administered to a small sample of individuals to evaluate the clarity of the items, the comprehensibility of instructions, and the overall feasibility of the scale administration. Pilot testing helped identify any ambiguities or problems with item wording or response format.
- Item Reduction: Following pilot testing, items that performed poorly in terms of clarity, relevance, or psychometric properties were eliminated or revised. This process aimed to create a more concise and focused scale while retaining adequate coverage of the target constructs.
- Factor Analysis: Data collected from the validation study were subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine the underlying factor structure of the scale and confirm the hypothesized multidimensional model. Factor analysis helped identify the distinct facets of schizoid personality and their interrelationships.
- Reliability Analysis: Internal consistency reliability of the scale and its subscales was assessed using measures such as Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability may also be examined by administering the scale to a subset of participants at two different time points and correlating their scores.
Likert Scale Implementation
Participants are presented with a series of response options indicating their degree of agreement or disagreement with each item. The Likert scale typically ranges from 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, with 1 representing "Strongly Disagree" or "Never" and 5 or 7 representing "Strongly Agree" or "Always," respectively. The response options may also include a neutral midpoint (e.g., "Neither Agree nor Disagree" or "Sometimes").
Results
Descriptive Statistics