Psychometric Properties of a Persian Translation of the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale in an Iranian Population

Abstract

For the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale, a 12-item measure of predisposition toward auditory and visual hallucinations, internal consistency and concurrent validity of a Persian version were assessed. The Persian version was administered to 182 men (M age = 29.8 yr., SD = 12.4) and 118 women (M age = 28.4 yr., SD = 10.2) from a community population in Iran. Participants were selected at random at the main Shiraz bus terminal for long distance intercity routes. The factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the translation were examined. Principal component analysis identified two factors characterized as clinical and subclinical. The current factor structure supported the two-factor model proposed by Serper, Dill, Chang, Kot, and Elliot, but the strength and importance of factors appear to differ between countries and cultures. All scales had good to acceptable estimates of reliability. Data also showed desirable concurrent validity for the Persian version. These findings suggest that the Persian version is, for an Iranian sample, best represented by a two-factor solution.