Development and validation of the slander scale: an Islamic, cultural, and psychological framework

Slander, conceptualised in Islamic teachings as false or harmful attribution that undermines an individual’s moral and social standing, remains under examined in psychological research. The present study aimed to develop and validate the Slander Scale within an Islamic and collectivist cultural context. In Study I, item generation involved literature review, expert evaluation, and focus group discussions, resulting in a pool with excellent content validity (CVI = .95). Exploratory factor analysis conducted on 350 participants supported a two-factor structure, Perpetration and Ambivalence, with strong internal consistency. In Study II, confirmatory factor analysis using an independent sample of 370 participants demonstrated good model fit (CFI = .95, TLI = .94, RMSEA = .05). Convergent validity was established through significant factor loadings and adequate average variance extracted, while discriminant validity was supported by acceptable inter factor correlations. The scale offers a culturally grounded tool for assessing slander in Muslim societies.