Validation of the Indonesian version of the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) – 20: A Psychometric Analysis

Abstract

Background Per year, mental disorders in Indonesia are increasing because of a lack of early detection and an insufficient number of mental health professionals to detect them early. It is important to minimize these problems by using a simple and valid screening tool for mental disorders. The self-reporting questionnaire 20 has been used regularly in Indonesia to detect symptoms of mental disorders. However, there is limited research on the factors and construct validity of SRQ-20. Thus, this study aimed to assess the factors and construct validity of SRQ-20 developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Methods SRQ-20 data were obtained at random through the public health office’s primary health care program, which encompasses 41,588 individuals. Internal reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. Exploratory factor analysis was used to discover its initial factors. In order to assess whether the SRQ-20 items were correctly employed, factorial validity was performed by utilizing principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Construct validity was done using Confirmatory factor analysis. Discriminant validity was done using the average variance extracted. Results The SRQ-20 had good internal consistency and reliability (α = 0.82). Findings of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed three factors for SRQ-20 which are classified based on types of symptoms and have a total variance of 46.03%. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) validates EFA findings which revealed each item of SRQ-20 correlates with one another and is robust across the multi-group classification. Conclusion The SRQ-20 can be used to screen for mental disorders. The study result provides validated and reliable items on SRQ-20. Further study should be done using different samples and methods across Indonesia.