Explaining emigration intentions through the lens of the theory of planned behavior: Scales' validation in a developing Arab country context

Abstract

Background Emigration is a multifaceted phenomenon that is changing the demographics of many countries. The Intention to Emigrate (ITE), Attitude Towards Emigration (ATE), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), and Subjective Social Norms (SSN) are measures that have been developed to assess the emigration intent and its possible contributors in a cultural setting. These scales lack a validated Arabic version suitable for the Arab context. This study aimed to translate, psychometrically validate, and culturally adapt the ITE, ATE, PBC, and SSN scales in Arabic in a sample of Lebanese university students. Methods Following the Snowball sampling method, participants (n = 471) were Lebanese students who answered demographic questions and completed the Arabic versions of the ITE, ATE, PBC, SSN, as well as the following measures for concurrent validity testing: dark Future, personality traits, risk propensity and depression. Results Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed a one-factor model of the ITE, ATE, PBC, and SSN. We found good internal consistency reliability for all scales: ITE (ω = .89; α = .89), ATE (ω = .86; α = .86), PBC (ω = .84; α = .84) and SSN (ω = .87; α = .87). Convergent validity and concurrent validity were proved through positive correlations with depression, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, risk propensity scores, and negative correlations with Openness scores. All scales showed invariance across sexes. Males scored significantly higher than females on the PBC scale, while no significant difference between sexes was observed for the ITE, ATE and SSN. Conclusion Our validated Arabic versions of the ITE, ATE, PBC, and SSN offer invaluable, culturally appropriate instruments for assessing emigration intentions and factors behind this intention. This shall boost research on emigration intentions and behaviors among Arabic*-speaking youth, help shape policies on emigration, and help social workers design targeted interventions for supporting potential emigrants.