Development and Validation of Ikhlaas Scale for Pakistani Muslim Adults.

Ikhlaas refers to the capacity of having sincere intentions in both acts of worship (ibadah) dedicated to God and our dealings with others, as we strive to seek God's pleasure. The present research was primarily conducted to develop a psychometrically sound measure of ikhlaas and establish its construct validity. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, it comprised two studies. Study 1 was conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, an initial set of 17 items for the Ikhlaas Scale (IS) was developed through the thematic analysis of Quranic verses, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Phase 2 was related to the translation and cross-language validation of scales. Phase 3 involved administering this item pool to a sample of Pakistani Muslim adults (N = 300) and conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that revealed a two-factor structure (item loading 0.45-0.89) for the 12-item IS, accounting for 43.65% of the variance. The first factor measured ikhlaas in worship (7 items), while the second factor measured ikhlaas in dealings with others (5 items). Ikhlaas had a significant positive correlation with taqwa and significant negative correlations with materialism, providing evidence for the convergent validity of the IS. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) conducted on a sample of Muslim adults (N = 702) confirmed the 12-item, two-factor structure of the IS observed in the EFA. Ikhlas was positively related to religious commitment and religious emphasis. In the final measurement model, the average variance extracted (AVE) of all constructs (ikhlaas, religious emphasis, and religious commitment) was > 0.50, the values of maximum shared variance (MSV) were lower than those of AVE, and the diagonal values of the square root of the AVE were higher than the intercorrelations. The heterotrait-monotrait correlation ratio (HTMT) ranged from 0.51 to 0.61, which testified to the discriminant validity of IS. Overall, the IS is a robust measure of ikhlaas that needs to be further studied for developing its nomological network across global Muslim populations.

Relationship between teachers' professional identity and career satisfaction among college teachers: role of career calling.

Objectives: Professional identity has been found an important determinant of career satisfaction of employees working in various fields. Teachers' professional identity is a relatively less explored domain. Considering the importance of teacher's career satisfaction, the current study was designed to test the role of career calling in the relationship between teachers' professional identity and career satisfaction. Methods: A sample of teachers (N = 300) with (n = 115) men and (n = 185) women was recruited from the colleges of Sargodha City, Pakistan with an age range from 24 to 45 (M = 31.3, SD = 6.4). A purposive sampling technique was employed for data collection. Variables of the present study were operationalized through the Professional Identity Scale, Brief Calling Scale, and Career Satisfaction Scale. Results: Path analysis revealed that normative identity did not have any direct or indirect effects on career satisfaction and career calling. Whereas affective and efficacy identity demonstrated significant positive direct effects on career calling whereas career calling had significant positive direct effect on career satisfaction. Efficacy identity also had a significant positive direct effect on career satisfaction. Finally, both affective and efficacy identity had significant positive indirect effects on career satisfaction via career calling. Conclusion: The findings of the current study may help in devising plans to improve the career satisfaction of teachers working in the higher education sector.

Development and Validation of Apeiroanxiety Scale in the Context of the Afterlife for Pakistani Muslim Adults.

Apeiroanxiety is a fear of infinity. Some people may experience anxiety or discomfort when contemplating the vastness or endless nature of certain concepts, such as time or space. Addressing any form of anxiety is important as it can impact an individual's daily functioning, wellbeing, and quality of life. The current study is aimed at developing a reliable and valid measure of apeiroanxiety in the context of the afterlife for the Pakistani Muslim population. The research had three studies: Query Study I generated an item pool of 18 items based on a literature review, semi-structured interviews, and expert opinion. This item pool was administered to a convenient sample of Pakistani Muslim participants (n = 1277). As a result of exploratory factor analysis, a uni-dimensional factor solution with five items was yielded (α = 0.90). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the obtained uni-dimensional factor solution in study II of the research with an excellent model fit. In study III, the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale was established on a separate independent sample (n = 485). Results yielded evidence of convergent validity as negative afterlife belief and rumination had a positive correlation with apeiroanxiety. The discriminant validity was established by a non-significant relationship between positive afterlife belief and apeiroanxiety. Moreover, the limitations, suggestions, and implications of the study are discussed.

Development and validation of Unsuccessful Disengagement Aging Scale (UDAS) for older adults.

The present study aimed to develop a precise and reliable measure of unsuccessful disengagement among older adults, defined as involuntary withdrawal from societal roles and norms due to familial or societal pressure, resulting in the transfer of responsibilities to the younger generation. High scores on the Unsuccessful Disengagement Aging Scale (UDAS) were indicative of a greater degree of unsuccessful disengagement. The study was conducted in two parts: Study I involved a purposive sample of 200 participants, whereas Study II involved a purposive sample of 500 occupationally retired older adults aged between 65 and 85 years. The constructs of the study were measured using the UDAS, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, and Identity and Experiences Scale. In Study I, the UDAS was subjected to an Exploratory Factor Analysis, which revealed a clear four-factor solution with high factor loadings and internally consistent factors. This factor structure was confirmed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis in Study II. Construct validity was established through the UDAS's significant positive correlation with depression and non-significant correlation with assimilation identity style. Furthermore, the mean UDAS score of older adults suffering from chronic physical ailments such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems, hepatitis, ulcers, liver problems, arthritis, and joint pain was significantly higher than that of healthy older adults, indicating the concurrent validity of the UDAS in distinguishing between ill and healthy older adults. Overall, the results indicated that the UDAS was a reliable and valid instrument for measuring unsuccessful disengagement in older adults.

Tawakkul Mediates Between Personality Traits, Depression, and Anxiety in Pakistani Muslim Adults.

Tawakkul in Islam is defined as the belief in the sufficiency of Allah (God) that invokes patience and efforts to achieve goals while accepting the outcomes unconditionally. The present research intended to investigate the mediating role of tawakkul between personality traits and mental health (anxiety and depression) in a purposive sample of (N = 350) Muslim adults. Urdu versions of three instruments, namely the Tawakkul Scale (Gondal, et al., 2021), Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale of (DASS 21; Aslam, 2018), and Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; Chishti & Kamal, 2002), were used to measure the variables. Path analysis revealed that extraversion had no association with tawakkul and anxiety, but it was inversely related to depression. Neuroticism was inversely related to tawakkul and positively related to both depression and anxiety, and these relationships were partially mediated by a low degree of tawakkul. Implications of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Affectivity and satisfaction in the relationship of Pakistani couples is mediated by dyadic coping-based gratitude.

A substantial body of research supports a positive association between interpersonal gratitude and relationship satisfaction in couples; however, dyadic coping-based gratitude (DC-G) has not been investigated from a dyadic stress and coping perspective. The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of DC-G between trait affectivity and relationship satisfaction in couples. We collected data from both members of dyads (N = 300 married couples) for the study variables as a pre-requisite for conducting dyadic data analysis using an actor-partner interdependent mediation model (APIMeM). The findings suggest that husbands' positive affect significantly predicted wives' relationship satisfaction via DC-G (actor-partner effect). However, the mediating effect of DC-G appeared to be stronger for the actor-actor and partner-partner effects compared with the cross-partner effect, which supports the actor-only effect. Further, wives' DC-G mediated between husbands' negative affect and wives' relationship satisfaction, suggesting a mediating effect of DC-G for wives but not for husbands. The implications are discussed within the context of couples' relationships.

Dyadic Coping, Dyadic Coping Based Gratitude (DC-G), and Relationship Satisfaction in Pakistani Couples.

Dyadic coping-based gratitude (DC-G) refers to the reaction of appreciation and thankfulness in response to received problem-focused and emotion-focused positive dyadic coping (DC) behaviors by the partner. The actor-partner interdependent mediation model was used to test the mediating role of DC-G between DC and relationship satisfaction in a purposive sample of 300 Pakistani married couples, which were treated as indistinguishable following the use of a test for distinguishability. Mediation analysis demonstrated that DC-G partially mediated the couples' DC and relationship satisfaction implying that the association between DC and relationship satisfaction strengthened as the DC-G intervenes in the path model. Additionally, the actor-actor or partner-partner indirect effects were stronger compared to the cross-partner effect suggesting that husbands or wives' DC more strongly predicted corresponding relationship satisfaction via DC-G compared to husbands-wives' DC. Implications are discussed within collectivistic cultural orientation and Islamic religious obligations regarding marital relationships in Pakistani couples.

Development and Validation of Religious Sectarian Intolerance Scale for Muslim Adults in Pakistan.

Religious sectarian intolerance occurs when members of different religious sects within a faith are unable to tolerate the religious beliefs and practices of each resulting in bigotry and prejudice toward each other. The present research sought to develop a psychometrically sound measure of religious sectarian intolerance for Muslim adults. The research comprised two studies. Study I involved the development of an initial item pool for the Religious Sectarian Intolerance Scale (RSIS). The initial pool of items was based on thematic analysis from focus group discussions. This item pool was reviewed by a committee of experts resulting in a 39-item initial draft of the RSIS, which was administered to a purposive sample of Pakistani Muslim adults (N = 270). The exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure for the RSIS (with loadings ranging from 0.56 to 0.94) that explained 62% of the variance. The factors include dogmatic loyalty (9 items), social intolerance (13 items), renunciation of other religious Sects. (8 items), and propagation of one's Sect. (9 items). All factors were moderately related to each other with acceptable Cronbach's alpha (.78 to .92). Study II replicated the factorial structure of RSIS through confirmatory factor analysis on an independent sample of Muslim adults (N = 274). The convergent validity of the RSIS was demonstrated by a positive relationship with dogmatism. Overall, the findings indicated that the RSIS is a psychometrically sound measure that provides a standard operationalization for religious sectarian intolerance in Muslim cultures and it needs to be studied further in Muslim populations across the globe.

Development and Validation of Tawakkul Scale for Muslim Adults in Pakistan.

As a fundamental value in the Islamic belief system, tawakkul is defined as the belief in the sufficiency of God that involves positive efforts to achieve one's goals while accepting the outcomes unconditionally. The present research intended to develop a psychometrically sound measure of tawakkul and it comprised two studies. In study I, an initial item pool of 60 items was developed based on the content analyses of Quranic verses with the root word 'w-k-l' and the findings of two focus group discussions with psychologists, Islamic scholars, and common Muslim adults. This item pool was reviewed by a committee of experts resulting in a 40-item initial draft of the Tawakkul Scale, which was administered on a purposive sample of (N = 300) Pakistani Muslim adults. The findings of the exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure (loadings ranged from .56 to .96) of the Tawakkul Scale that cumulatively explained 76.67% variance. The factors included belief in the sufficiency of God (11 items), unconditional acceptance of God's will (6 items), efforts (4 items), and annihilation of one's own will (3 items). All factors were moderately related to each other with good values of Cronbach's alpha (α ≥ .83). Study II replicated the factorial structure of the Tawakkul Scale through confirmatory factor analysis and established its construct validity in an independent sample of (N = 350) Pakistani Muslim adults. Tawakkul had a positive relationship with secure attachment to God and a negative relationship with insecure attachment to God that affirmed its construct validity. Overall, the findings indicated that the Tawakkul Scale is a psychometrically sound measure that needs to be further studied in Muslim populations across the globe.

Construction and Piloting of Attitude Towards Research Participation Scale for University Students.

INTRODUCTION: Attitude toward participation in the research plays an important role in the quality of any research. Therefore, researchers aimed at construction and piloting of scale to measure attitude toward research participation for university students. METHOD AND RESULTS: In Study I, an initial pool of items was generated on the basis of literature review, semi-structured interviews and expert opinions. After ensuring content validity and finalizing items with the help of experts, the scale was applied on a sample of 426 university students including both men (n = 114) and women (n = 312) with age range of 17-30. Exploratory factor analysis revealed the two factor structure was with 60.33% cumulative variance. The factors revealed were positive attitude and negative attitude toward research with alpha reliability of 0.84 for positive attitude while 0.76 for negative attitude. In Study II, confirmatory factor analysis revealed excellent model fit indices with two factor structure. Study III was meant to provide evidence of construct validity. Positive correlation showed exploration and curiosity with positive attitude toward research and negative correlation of exploration and curiosity with negative attitude toward research participation provided strong evidence for convergent validity. While non-significant correlation of attitude toward research with religiosity confirmed the divergent validity of the scale. CONCLUSION: Findings of the study revealed that Attitude Toward Research Participation Scale is a valid and reliable measure. It can be used for university students to measure their attitude toward research.

Effect of perceived husband's support on postpartum depression: Mediating role of need for approval.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the mediating role of need of approval between perceived husband's support and postpartum depression. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to May 2018 and comprised women diagnosed with postpartum depression at different public-sector hospitals of district Gujarat in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Urdu versions of the Marital Empathy Scale, the Need for Approval subscale of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale Form A-17, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to collect relevant data which was then analysed using SPSS (version 26). RESULTS: Of the 170 women, 101(59.4%) belonged to rural background, and 108(63.5%) had a girl as their last child. The overall mean age was 29.81±5.66 years (range: 18-42 years). Perceived husband's support had negative significant direct effect on need of approval (p<0.01) and postpartum depression (p<0.01). Need of approval had significant positive direct effect on postpartum depression (p<0.05). The significant indirect effect of perceived husband's support through need of approval on postpartum depression was negative (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived husband's support reduced the need of approval, which in turn, lowered the degree of postpartum depression.

Influence of parental competence on postpartum depression mediated via negative thoughts: moderating role of type of delivery.

The present study intended to explore and compare the mediating role of negative thoughts between the sense of parental competence and postpartum depression in postpartum mothers who gave birth to their baby either through vaginal or cesarean delivery. A purposive sample of 170 women suffering from postpartum depression was recruited from different hospitals in Gujrat, Pakistan. Urdu versions of the Parenting Sense of Competency Scale, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to measure the focal constructs of the study. Data were collected from May 2018 to October 2018. Path analysis revealed that parental competence had negative direct effects on postpartum depression (ß = -.17, p < .05) and negative thoughts (ß = -.27, p < .05) and both of these effects were stronger for women with cesarean delivery (Δß = .04, p < .001; Δß = .36, p < .001, respectively). Negative thoughts had a positive direct effect on postpartum depression (ß = .43, p < .05) and this direct effect was also stronger among women with cesarean delivery (Δß = -.12, p < .001). Furthermore, parental competence reduced the negative thoughts, which in turn, lowered the postpartum depression (ß = -.12, p < .05), however, this indirect effect was true only for the group of women with cesarean delivery (Δß = .20, p < .05). Our findings indicate the powerful role of parental competence in reducing the likelihood of postpartum depression through the regulation of negative thoughts and highlight that cesarean delivery may increase mothers' vulnerability to negative thoughts and postpartum depression.

Mediating Role Of Postpartum Depression Between Perceived Spousal Support And Postpartum Maternal Bonding.

BACKGROUND: The present study intended to examine the direct effects of perceived spousal support and postpartum depression on postpartum maternal bonding. Furthermore, it also explored the mediating role of postpartum depression between perceived spousal support and postpartum maternal bonding. METHODS: This study was based on a cross-sectional survey research design. A purposive sample of 170 women who were already diagnosed by the doctor/psychiatrist as suffering from postpartum depression was recruited from different hospitals of Gujrat district. Urdu translated versions of The Marital Empathy Scale, Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to measure the focal constructs of the study. RESULTS: IBM Amos was used to test the proposed model of the present study. Path analysis revealed that perceived spousal support had negative significant direct effects on postpartum depression and postpartum maternal bonding. Postpartum depression had significant positive direct effect on postpartum maternal bonding. Finally, the significant indirect effect of perceived spousal support through postpartum depression on postpartum maternal bonding was negative. CONCLUSIONS: The mediation found in the present study suggested that perceived spousal support reduced the postpartum depression, which in turn, lowered the chances of dysfunctional postpartum maternal bonding with the baby. Implications of the study along with the recommendations for future studies have been reflected upon.

Adolescent health literacy: factors effecting usage and expertise of digital health literacy among universities students in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health tools are of little use if the intended user lacks the skills to effectively engage them. Engaging eHealth requires a skill set, or literacy, of its own. The present study is an effort to probe the relationship of education and Institution (Independent Variables) with the usage and expertise in eHealth literacy (Dependent Variables) among university students. The research is conducted in 16 Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan's recognized universities in Lahore. Both male and female students ranging from BS to PhD programs were the focus of the research. METHODS: Quantitative data was collected through survey method using stratified random sampling technique. There were different kinds of strata in population i.e. general universities, health sciences universities, engineering universities and animal sciences universities etc. The research encompassed a total of 89,664 students in 16 universities, from which sample size of 1513 was drawn through research advisor table (2006). Proportional allocation formula was used to specify the number of respondents from each university. Non-parametric statistics was used since data was not normally distributed. Kruskal-Wallis H test and Mann-Whitney U test were applied to measure the difference of effect of groups of independent variables on the dependent variables. RESULTS: The level of using digital health literacy was not same for all students, as the students of PhD and BS/Masters were significantly different from each other in terms of their usage of digital health literacy. Level of education showed a significant influence on level of expertise in eHealth literacy, confirming that changing the level of education had an effect on level of expertise in digital health literacy, but the size of effect was smaller. MS/MPhil and PhD students were significantly different from each other in their expertise in digital health literacy. CONCLUSION: Results of the study depicted that belonging to different categories of educational levels differently affect the level of usage and that of expertise in digital health literacy among university students.

Development and validation of Temperance Scale in Pakistan.

The purpose of the present research was to construct and validate a measure of temperance-one's capability of moderation or voluntary self-restraint. This research comprised two studies. In Study I, an item pool of 83 items was generated, 75 items were finalized by a committee of experts, and then these items were administered on a purposive sample of university students (n = 250). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a four-factor solution with 24 items and the factors were named as Self-regulation (α = .72), Prudence (α = .71), Humility (α = .79), and Forgiveness (α = .73). Study II of the present research confirmed the factorial structure of the Temperance Scale in an independent sample of university students (n = 268). The Temperance Scale, Academic Procrastination Scale, and Empathy Quotient Short Form were administered to the participants. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Temperance Scale demonstrated a good model fit to the data with the same four factors as established during the EFA. The Temperance Scale was positively correlated with empathy and it had a nonsignificant relationship with academic procrastination. The results support that the newly developed scale has promising validity.

Urdu Translation of Friendship Scale: Evidence for the Validity and Measurement Invariance Across Gender.

Social isolation is a state of nearly-absolute lack of interaction between an individual and society. The Friendship Scale (Hawthorne, 2006) is a measure of social isolation that needed to be translated in the Urdu language for its validation for the Pakistani population owing to its brevity and sound psychometric properties. For the Urdu translation, the standard back-translation procedure was adopted, and the cross-language validation of the translated version was undertaken on a purposive sample of (N = 60) older adults with a minimum age of 60 years. The test-retest reliability of one week for the Urdu-English and English-Urdu version was .95 and .97, respectively. In an independent purposive sample of older adults (N = 500; men = 263 and women = 237) from Lahore and Sargodha districts, the CFA of the Friendship Scale revealed a single factor solution with six indicators, which demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across both genders and comparable latent mean scores of men and women. The Friendship Scale demonstrated a significant positive relationship with depression and non-significant association with the assimilation, which provided evidence for the convergent and discriminant validities, respectively. Furthermore, evidence of the concurrent validity was established as the older adults whose spouses had died scored significantly higher on the Friendship scale as compared to their counterparts who were living with their spouses. These pieces of evidence suggest that the Urdu version of the Friendship scale is a reliable and valid measure of flourishing for both genders.

Impact of academic psychological capital on academic achievement among university undergraduates: Roles of flow and self-handicapping behavior.

The present research explored the mediating roles of flow and self-handicapping behaviors in the relationship between academic psychological capital (PsyCap) and academic achievement in a purposive sample of university undergraduates (N = 300). Components of academic PsyCap were measured with the Perceived Self-efficacy subscale of the Student Approaches to Learning Scale, the Life Orientation Test - Academics, the Academic Hope Scale, and the Academic Resilience Scale. Flow and self-handicapping behaviors were measured with the Flow Short Scale and the Self-handicapping Scale Revised, respectively. Students' cumulative grade point averages (CGPAs) in the previous semester were taken as an index of their academic achievement. The measurement model of the study revealed a good fit to the data and the structural model indicated the positive direct effects of academic PsyCap and flow and the negative effect of self-handicapping behaviors on academic achievement. Both flow and self-handicapping behaviors demonstrated a parallel mediation between academic PsyCap and CGPA such that academic PsyCap decreased self-handicapping behaviors, which in turn resulted in improved CGPA; on the other hand, academic PsyCap enhanced the flow experience, which led to improved academic achievement. Implications of the study and recommendations for future research are reflected upon.

Role of sorption energy and chemisorption in batch methylene blue and Cu2+ adsorption by novel thuja cone carbon in binary component system: linear and nonlinear modeling.

Functionalized thuja cone carbon (FTCC) was synthesized thermochemically. It was carried out by carbonization (250 °C) and activation (320 °C), followed by surface functionalization in 0.5 M HAN (HNO and HCl3) mixture and subsequent heating in H2SO4 (95%) at 90 °C. This was used for methylene blue (MB) adsorption in single component system (SCS) and binary component system (BCS) with Cu2+. Maximum adsorption capacity of MB (83.4 mg/g) was achieved at pH 10 at 100 mg/L of adsorbate solution. MB and Cu2+ adsorption onto FTCC obeyed pseudo-second-order model kinetics. Spontaneous and endothermic MB adsorption was noticed with negative Gibbs free energy change (- 6.34, - 9.20, and - 13.78 kJ/mol) and positive enthalpy change (133.91 kJ/mol). At low concentrations, Cu2+ adsorption increased by 14 mg/g with least reduction of MB adsorption (< 4 mg/g) in BCS. Isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich) support the increase in Cu2+ adsorption in BCS. The sorption heat of MB shifted from 165.16 kJ/mol (SCS) to 150.85 kJ/mol in BCS (Temkin) and from 57.74 kJ/mol (SCS) to 50.50 kJ/mol in BCS (D-R), which supports the lower MB uptake in BCS due to decrease in sorption energy. The sorption heat of Cu2+ is increased (148.43 kJ/mol) in the BCS than SCS (155.36 kJ/mol), which makes the equal distribution of increased bonding energies; therefore, FTCC surface sites increased the Cu2+ uptake in the BCS. Desorption studies concluded the reusability of FTCC by 75% and 79% for MB and Cu2+ adsorption respectively. This study recommends to determine the best fit of isotherm and kinetic models to adsorption data by linear as well as nonlinear regression fit.