Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory (CATI)
,
Abstract
Objective: The present study aimed to culturally adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Comprehensive Autism Trait Inventory (CATI) for use within the Iranian society, thereby facilitating cross-cultural research on autistic traits.
Method: This cross-sectional survey included 1,013 Iranian adults (70.1% female), aged 15 to 50 years (M = 24.91, SD = 5.47), recruited through convenience sampling. The translation of the CATI into Persian was developed based on a carefully implemented forward and backward translation procedure through bilingual experts. Discrepancies were resolved by a panel of psychologists and psychometricians to ensure semantic and conceptual equivalence. The broad autism phenotype questionnaire (BAPQ), a tool designed to measure traits associated with the broad autism phenotype, was also administered to measure convergent validity. In order to assess internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated, while construct validity was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Pearson correlations with BAPQ scores.
Results: CFA confirmed that all items aligned meaningfully with their intended factors, supporting the persian CATI’s six-factor structure and indicating a good model fit (CFI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.047; χ² / df = 3.25; GFI = 0.90; SRMR = 0.059). The average variance extracted (AVE) was 0.45 for both the components and the overall scale. Correlations between CATI subscales and the BAPQ ranged from 0.03 to 0.40, demonstrating acceptable convergent and divergent validity. The reliability of the six-factor model was verified by Cronbach’s alpha (0.84) and McDonald’s omega (0.82).
Conclusion: The Persian version of the CATI shows sound psychometric properties for evaluating autistic traits in the Iranian population. These findings support utility of CATI in research settings and highlight the importance of culturally adapted assessment tools for improving diagnosis and intervention across diverse contexts.
2. Chiarotti F, Venerosi A. Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Worldwide Prevalence Estimates Since 2014. Brain Sci. 2020;10(5):274.
3. Baio J, Wiggins L, Christensen DL, Maenner MJ, Daniels J, Warren Z, et al. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2018;67(6):1-23.
4. Qiu S, Lu Y, Li Y, Shi J, Cui H, Gu Y, et al. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2020;284:112679.
5. Samadi SA, McConkey R. Screening for Autism in Iranian Preschoolers: Contrasting M-CHAT and a Scale Developed in Iran. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(9):2908-16.
6. Freeth M, Sheppard E, Ramachandran R, Milne E. A cross-cultural comparison of autistic traits in the UK, India and Malaysia. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013;43(11):2569-83.
7. Inada N, Koyama T, Inokuchi E, Kuroda M, Kamio Y. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Modified Checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT). Res Autism Spectr Disord. 2011;5(1):330-6.
8. Dell'Osso L, Cremone IM, Chiarantini I, Arone A, Massimetti G, Carmassi C, et al. Autistic traits and camouflaging behaviors: a cross-sectional investigation in a University student population. CNS Spectr. 2022;27(6):740-6.
9. Constantino JN. Response to "A Radical Change in Our Autism Research Strategy is Needed: Back to Prototypes" by Mottron et al. (2021). Autism Res. 2021;14(10):2221-3.
10. Hyman SE. Psychiatric Disorders: Grounded in Human Biology but Not Natural Kinds. Perspect Biol Med. 2021;64(1):6-28.
11. Dell'Osso L, Cremone IM, Carpita B, Dell'Oste V, Muti D, Massimetti G, et al. Rumination, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mood symptoms in borderline personality disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2019;15:1231-8.
12. English MCW, Gignac GE, Visser TAW, Whitehouse AJO, Enns JT, Maybery MT. The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI): development and validation of a new measure of autistic traits in the general population. Molecular Autism. 2021;12(1):37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00445-7
13. Folstein S, Rutter M. Infantile autism: a genetic study of 21 twin pairs. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1977;18(4):297-321.
14. Sucksmith E, Roth I, Hoekstra RA. Autistic traits below the clinical threshold: re-examining the broader autism phenotype in the 21st century. Neuropsychol Rev. 2011;21(4):360-89.
15. Piven J, Palmer P, Landa R, Santangelo S, Jacobi D, Childress D. Personality and language characteristics in parents from multiple-incidence autism families. Am J Med Genet. 1997;74(4):398-411.
16. Zeidan J, Fombonne E, Scorah J, Ibrahim A, Durkin MS, Saxena S, et al. Global prevalence of autism: A systematic review update. Autism Res. 2022;15(5):778-90.
17. Lodi-Smith J, Rodgers JD, Cunningham SA, Lopata C, Thomeer ML. Meta-analysis of Big Five personality traits in autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 2019;23(3):556-65.
18. Constantino JN, Davis SA, Todd RD, Schindler MK, Gross MM, Brophy SL, et al. Validation of a brief quantitative measure of autistic traits: comparison of the social responsiveness scale with the autism diagnostic interview-revised. J Autism Dev Disord. 2003;33(4):427-33.
19. Bolton P, Macdonald H, Pickles A, Rios P, Goode S, Crowson M, et al. A case-control family history study of autism. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1994;35(5):877-900.
20. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Skinner R, Martin J, Clubley E. The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. J Autism Dev Disord. 2001;31(1):5-17.
21. Hurley RS, Losh M, Parlier M, Reznick JS, Piven J. The broad autism phenotype questionnaire. J Autism Dev Disord. 2007;37(9):1679-90.
22. Lyall K. What are quantitative traits and how can they be used in autism research? Autism Res. 2023;16(7):1289-98.
23. Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2000;25(24):3186-91.
24. Hair J, Anderson R, Babin B, Black W. Multivariate Data Analysis : Pearson New International Edition: Pearson Deutschland; 2013. Available from: https://elibrary.pearson.de/book/99.150005/9781292035116.
25. Vandenberg RJ, Lance CE. A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational research methods. 2000;3(1):4-70.
26. Heravian Shandiz J, Momeni Moghaddam H, Wolffsohn JS, Karimpour M. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Persian version of the low-vision quality-of-life questionnaire. British Journal of Visual Impairment. 2024;42(3):612-22.
27. Tavakol M, Wetzel A. Factor Analysis: a means for theory and instrument development in support of construct validity. Int J Med Educ. 2020;11:245-7.
28. Kordbagheri M, Kordbagheri A, Tayim N, Davoudi M. Evaluation of the psychometric indicators of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory in Iranian adults. Asian J Psychiatr. 2024;91:103885.
29. Meng F, Xuan B. Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory-short form (CATI-SF-C) in the general population. Asian J Psychiatr. 2023;84:103580.
30. Meng F, Xuan B. Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory‐short form (CATI‐SF‐C) in the general population. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2023;84:103580.
31. Freeth M, Sheppard E, Ramachandran R, Milne E. A cross-cultural comparison of autistic traits in the UK, India and Malaysia. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2013;43:2569-83.
32. Alhwaiti M. The mediating role of emotional regulation and emotional expression in the relationship between autistic traits and empathy in Saudi students. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. 2024;70(6):976-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2024.2345956
33. Masi A, DeMayo MM, Glozier N, Guastella AJ. An overview of autism spectrum disorder, heterogeneity and treatment options. Neuroscience bulletin. 2017;33:183-93.
34. Poljac E, Hoofs V, Princen MM, Poljac E. Understanding behavioural rigidity in autism spectrum conditions: The role of intentional control. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2017;47:714-27.
35. Ratto AB, Kenworthy L, Yerys BE, Bascom J, Wieckowski AT, White SW, et al. What About the Girls? Sex-Based Differences in Autistic Traits and Adaptive Skills. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48(5):1698-711.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Articles in Press | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Autism Factor Analysis Psychological Tests | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
