Development and preliminary evaluation of the Peace Attitudes Scale.

The peace construct has been observed by many theoretical perspectives (e.g., positive psychology, social psychology, international relations) and each contribution emphasized complementary aspects leading to different approaches to measurement and subdomain structure. Still, at present, no existing instrument provides a comprehensive assessment of these areas. The aim of this study is to contribute to the development, pilot testing, and initial validation of the Peace Attitude Scale (PAS), and to determine its psychometric properties, validity, and reliability. A total of 499 subjects were tested using items graded on a 7-point Likert scale. Validity analyses were performed using self-compassion subscales and by examining mean differences across people who did and did not engage in volunteering activities. Test–retest reliability was performed on 64 subjects. Results showed that, after an exploratory factor analysis, 5 domains appeared to be relevant: Sociopolitical, Personal Well-Being, Ease With Diversity, Environmental Attitude, and Caring. The PAS can be used to further assess the relationship between peace and other relevant variables. More research is needed first to confirm the validity of PAS and second to test its usefulness in educational and social settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research