J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs.  2020 Dec;29(4):296-303. 10.12934/jkpmhn.2020.29.4.296.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire with a Sample of University Students

• Lee B

• KMID: 2512369
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2020.29.4.296

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) for use with the Korean university student population.
Methods
A sample of 504 undergraduate students enrolled at a four-year university in South Korea were recruited for the study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted, based on pre-existing models, to compare the model fit indices of three previously proposed factor structures for the PSWQ. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s ⍺ while test-retest reliability was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients. To assess the convergent validity of the PSWQ, Pearson correlations were conducted to examine the association between the PSWQ and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-T.
Results
CFA results indicated that the one-factor model with method effect fit the data well in the sample. The PSWQ evidenced high internal consistency and adequate to good test-retest reliability over four weeks. The PSWQ also demonstrated substantial convergent validity with trait anxiety.
Conclusion
The Korean version of the PSWQ was found to be sufficiently coherent and robust to be used with the university student populations and its reliability and validity has also been supported. The PSWQ measures a facet of worry as a general, unidimensional construct but different response patterns emerged between positively or negatively worded questions.

Keyword

Confirmatory factor analysis; Factor structure; Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ); Psychometric properties; University students