Urdu Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the GELOPH-15 in a Pakistani Sample
Abstract
Gelotophobia is the predisposition to fear being laughed at and to read laughter as being ridiculed or as a social threat. The present study involved translation of GELOPH-15 from English into Urdu and investigated the evidence of internal structure and score reliability of GELOPH-15 in Pakistani sample. The translation process consisted of independent forward translation, expert reconciliation, independent back translation, multidisciplinary review and pilot testing with 20 participants. The finalized Urdu version was given online to 503 university students, college students and working adults, who were selected using convenience sampling. The hypothesized unidimensional structure of the instrument was tested by confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was determined by Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and maximum reliability. The one-factor model demonstrated an acceptable, although not strong, fit to the data, χ²(90) = 251.69, p < .001, χ²/df = 2.80, CFI = .926, SRMR = .055, and RMSEA = .060. The test of close fit was statistically significant, PCLOSE = .032, indicating that the hypothesis of close approximate fit was not supported. Standardized factor loadings were modest, ranging from .33 to .50. Cronbach’s alpha (α = .768), composite reliability (CR = .771), and maximum reliability (MaxR[H] = .778) indicated acceptable score consistency. However, average variance extracted was low (AVE = .186), indicating weak convergence of the items on the latent construct. The results of this study have given some preliminary evidence for the broad unidimensional structure and reliability of Urdu GELOPH-15 . Further item-level examination, test–retest assessment, validity testing using external measures, and independent replication are required before the instrument can be recommended for unrestricted use in Pakistan.
Keywords: gelotophobia, fear of being laughed at, GELOPH-15, Urdu translation, psychometric evaluation, confirmatory factor analysis
