The Persian version of the Psychotic‐Like Experiences Questionnaire for Children (PLEQ‐C): Psychometric properties in Iranian school students.

IRANIAN students; PSYCHOMETRICS; CRONBACH'S alpha; CONVENIENCE sampling (Statistics); CONFIRMATORY factor analysis

Psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs), or subclinical hallucinations and delusions, are common symptoms among young adults. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Psychotic‐Like Experiences Questionnaire for Children (PLEQ‐C) in Iranian school students. The study method was cross‐sectional, and the population consisted of Iranian school students aged 9–12 years, from whom 455 students were selected through the convenience sampling method. The participants then completed the PLEQ‐C, Prodromal Questionnaire‐Brief (PQ‐B), and Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences‐42 (CAPE‐42). The PLEQ‐C's psychometric properties were analyzed using the confirmatory factor analysis while the reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha. The convergent validity was assessed using the PQ‐B and CAPE‐42 measures. The findings showed that the PLEQ‐C has satisfactory internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha of 0.83), and the one‐factor structure provides a good fit for the observed data. The PLEQ‐C was also significantly correlated with the PQ‐B and CAPE‐42 questionnaires. Given the study findings, it is concluded that the PLEQ‐C has good validity for Iranian school students aged 9–12 years and can be used as a reliable and valid measure in psychological evaluations in the Iranian context. Practitioner Points: The reliability and validity of the Psychotic‐Like Experiences Questionnaire for Children (PLEQ‐C) have been investigated in Iranian school students and showed adequate internal consistency.PLEQ‐C was a valid and reliable instrument for assessing Iranian school students' psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs). This study indicated directions for future research.The PLEQ‐C can be widely used in screening PLEs and in various clinical and research situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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