Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of the Professional Self Identity Questionnaire (PSIQ) in Iranian Students in Shiraz

Background: Professional identity is a vital component of medical education that influences the future practice of medical students. Currently, there is a lack of a reliable and valid Persian scale for measuring students' readiness for professional identity. Objectives: This study aims to determine whether the Professional Self-identity Questionnaire (PSIQ) can be adapted for Persian healthcare professions. Methods: A descriptive-correlation study was conducted among medical students (years 4 - 7) at Shiraz Medical School. A total of 175 students completed the Persian version of the PSIQ using stratified sampling. The PSIQ consists of nine items. Categorical Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CCFA) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were used to assess the questionnaire's validity and reliability. The questionnaire was translated into Persian by two independent translators whose first language was Persian, and an agreement was reached. Data analysis and the path diagram were conducted using R.3.6.2 software with the lavaan and semPlot packages. Results: An eight-person expert panel approved the face, content, and structural validity of the questionnaire. The items' Content Validity Index (CVI) exceeded 0.79, and the questionnaire's overall Content Validity Ratio (CVR) exceeded 0.75, according to the Lawshe table. The goodness-of-fit indices for the professional self-identity model included the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) (RMSEA = 0.055, CFI = 0.996, and TLI = 0.994). The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the three subscales—"profession-specific tasks," "generic attributes," and "inter-personal tasks"—were 0.762, 0.622, and 0.747, respectively (P-value < 0.05). The internal consistency of the entire questionnaire, measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.873. These statistical results indicate that the hypothesized three-factor model fit the sample data well. Consequently, all nine items were significantly loaded on the three domains. Conclusions: The Persian-translated version of the PSIQ appears to be an appropriate, valid, and reliable tool for assessing the professional self-identity attitudes of medical students in Iran.