Chinese version of the Aging Perceptions Questionnaire (C-APQ): assessment of reliability and validity

Objectives: To assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of Aging Perceptions Questionnaire (C-APQ). Method:Participants aged 65 years and over were recruited from February 2012 to November 2012. The Aging Perceptions Questionnaire was translated into Chinese version professionally. Content validity was examined by a panel of seven experts; item reliabilities were assessed by test-retest; internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient; half of the sample (N = 379) was selected to explore factorial structure of the C-APQ by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and another half of the sample (N = 379) was selected to confirm the findings from the EFA by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Statistical package SPSS version 18.0 and Amos 17.0 were used for the analysis. Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the C-APQ was 0.884. The test-retest reliability was satisfactory, with all intraclass correlation coefficients greater than 0.4. The overall content validity index was greater than 0.99. Seven factors (timeline acute/chronic, timeline cyclical, emotional representations, control positive, control negative, consequences positive and consequences negative) were identified in EFA and confirmed in CFA. Conclusion: The C-APQ could be a reliable and a valid measure of the self-perceptions of aging in the elderly in China, which may help to improve the life quality and extend longevity of the elderly.