Indigenous Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Negative and Positive Beliefs about Arranged Marriage Questionnaire (NPBAM-Q)

The current study aimed to develop and validate the Negative and Positive Beliefs about Arranged Marriage Questionnaire (NPBAM-Q), an indigenous tool to assess both negative and positive beliefs about arranged marriage within Pakistan's cultural context. The development process followed rigorous psychometric procedures, including item generation through a literature review and qualitative interviews, followed by thematic analysis and expert evaluations to ensure content validity. The finalized questionnaire included two subscales: Negative Beliefs About Arranged Marriage (NBAM) and Positive Beliefs About Arranged Marriage (PBAM). Data were collected from 312 participants (156 males, 156 females) aged 18 to 35 years, using convenience sampling. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) confirmed a two-factor structure, explaining 52.25% of the cumulative variance. Reliability analysis indicated strong internal consistency (α = .90 for NBAM and α = .86 for PBAM). Discriminant validity was established through a significant negative correlation between NBAM and PBAM. The gender comparison revealed that women held more negative beliefs about arranged marriage, while no significant gender differences were found in positive beliefs about arranged marriage. These findings support the NPBAM-Q as a reliable and culturally sensitive instrument for assessing both negative and positive beliefs about arranged marriage.