Validation of the Arabic Dementia Diagnosis Attitude Scale (A-DDAS)

INTRODUCTION: Culturally appropriate scales are needed to efficiently assess stigma among Arabic-speaking communities. This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the Dementia Diagnosis Attitude Scale (A-DDAS). METHODS: The translated A-DDAS underwent pre-testing with native speakers in Australia. The final version of the scale was tested with Arabic-speaking adults aged ≥ 18 residing in Australia. The sample (N = 266) was randomly split such that one half (n = 133) underwent exploratory factor analysis and the other half (n = 133) underwent confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability was assessed via Cronbach α. RESULTS: The final 10-item scale consisted of two factors with five items each: “fear of labelling” (α = 0.88) and “fear of discrimination” (α = 0.85), with inter-factor correlation r = 0.51 and high reliability (α = 0.87). DISCUSSION: The A-DDAS yielded good validity and reliability scores, confirming its suitability for use with Arabic-speaking Australians in stigma studies, educational interventions, and clinical settings.