Validation of the Persian version of the AWAER questionnaire (preventive warning of relapse – revised form) in methamphetamine users

ABSTRACT

Background: The present study was conducted to validate the Persian version of the AWAER questionnaire (Preventive Warning of Relapse – Revised Form) in methamphetamine users.

Method: The statistical population consisted of all the methamphetamine users referring to the addiction treatment centers of Kermanshah, Iran, and 388 people were selected by two-step random cluster sampling.

Result: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the AWARE questionnaire was 0.95, indicating the desired validity of the Persian form. Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation indicated three factors, namely depression, anxiety, and relapse, with a total variance explanation of 63.3%. Also, the correlation coefficient obtained between the extracted factors with each other and the entire items indicated a desirable structural validity. Given the elimination of three items, the Persian version of the questionnaire was finally obtained with 25 items and three factors. Test–retest reliability was 0.79 with a one-week interval. The correlation coefficient between the AWARE questionnaire and AWQ-V2 scores was obtained as 0.526 for determining the convergent validity (P < .01).

Conclusion: The Persian version of the AWARE questionnaire in methamphetamine users’ community has a favorable validity and reliability and can therefore be used to assess the symptoms of advance warning of relapse in Persian-speaking methamphetamine users, such as those in Iran.

KEYWORDS:

• AWARE (Advance Warning of Relapse)
• validity
• reliability
• factor analysis
• methamphetamine

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Substance abuse prevention research center and clinical Research Development Unit (CRDU) of Imam Khomeini and Mohammad Kermanshahi and Farabi Hospitals affiliated to Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences for their support, cooperation, and assistance throughout the period of study (Grant number: 96414).

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This article is the result of the findings of the research project 96414 that was approved and financed by the Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Vice Chancellor for research and Research and Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.