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Psychological Tests in Arabic: A Review of Methodological Practices and Recommendations for Future Use

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Abstract

Mental health research among Arabic speakers is increasing, and with it the need to assess psychopathology of Arabic-speaking populations, including natives, refugees, and immigrants. However, major challenges include the unavailability of appropriate Arabic tools, and the difficulty of judging whether available tools are appropriate. Critical judgment of psychometric tools is important, because they are used for high stake decisions such as clinical outcomes and diagnoses. We identified Arabic-language tests that measure constructs related to mental illness and health, critically analyzed their methodologies, and provided broad recommendations for future research. We conducted a systematic search query using four online databases and followed step-wise exclusions. We identified 115 articles published between January 1998 and August 2019 which produced 138 Arabic tests to screen or diagnose or plan treatment for psychological disorders. More than 80% of tests were translated or adapted from English using methods that are not comparable with the latest standards. Methods of establishing validity, reliability, and equivalence, were also limited, with one quarter not reporting reliability, and the majority using only one source of validity evidence. There is much room for improvement when making decisions about translation or adaptation designs, as well as conducting and reporting psychometric evidence.

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Notes

  1. In this paper, we use the term production to refer to producing a test in a local language, whether through translation, adaptation, or assembly.

  2. The keyword-based query was as follows (“Test OR inventory OR scale OR survey OR battery OR questionnaire OR assessment OR index OR checklist OR instrument OR profile”) AND (“Translat* OR adapt* OR valid* OR reliab* OR psychometric OR norm* OR develop* OR construct*) AND “Arab* OR Algeria* OR Bahrain* OR Comoros* OR Djibouti* OR Egypt* OR Iraq* OR Jordan* OR Kuwait* OR Leban* OR Libya* OR Malt* OR Mauritan* OR Moroc* OR Oman* OR Qatar* OR (Saudi Arabia*) OR Saudi OR Somalia* OR Sudan* OR Syria* OR Tunisia* OR (United Arab Emirate*) OR Emarat* OR (Western Sahar*) OR Sahar* OR Yemen* OR Palestin* OR (West Bank) OR Gaza* OR (Middle East*)).

  3. The Arab countries included are those that have Arabic as an official language, and are listed as “Arab” by the United Nations (UNESCO, 2017), in addition to Western Sahara albeit being noted as a disputed territory.

  4. We excluded all tests that deal with “normal” traits and variations of behavior such as attitudes, stigma, coping styles, etc. We also excluded all tests that dealt with the behavioral aspect of a primarily physical state or illness (e.g., self-reported symptoms of medical conditions), or behaviors related to medical conditions (e.g., Cancer Behavior Inventory). We also excluded all occupational tests, quality of life tests, and educational tests, unless they are intended to be used as screeners or diagnostic tools for DSM disorders.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to dedicate this paper to the late Professor Fons Van De Vijver, who was a supervisor, mentor and friend, and an inspiration on cross cultural fairness in psychological assessment. They also acknowledge the following students who contributed to data coding (in alphabetical order): Alice Stephan, Carla Bou Dargham, Cherine Bou Dargham, Corine Ghorayeb, Lana Toufaili, Mia Menassa, Riwa Safa, and Ms. Layal Hneini who helped with the updated library search query.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, American University of Beirut, 106 Jesup Hall, Beirut, Lebanon

    Pia Zeinoun & Rhawann El Hakim

  2. Psychology and Educational Sciences Department, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

    Dragos Iliescu

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  1. Pia Zeinoun
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  2. Dragos Iliescu
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  3. Rhawann El Hakim
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Correspondence to Pia Zeinoun.

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Appendix A

Appendix A

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Zeinoun, P., Iliescu, D. & El Hakim, R. Psychological Tests in Arabic: A Review of Methodological Practices and Recommendations for Future Use. Neuropsychol Rev 32, 1–19 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-021-09476-6

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