Development and validation of the Arabic version of the psychosocial skills scale (APSS-33) among Moroccan adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial skills are key determinants of adolescents’ ability to adapt to the complex challenges of this critical developmental period. Despite their recognized importance for public health, existing assessment tools are often inadequate for the Moroccan context, primarily due to their length and lack of cultural validation. This study aims to develop and validate a concise, culturally adapted scale specifically designed for Moroccan adolescents. METHODS: A two-phase cross-sectional study was conducted to develop and validate the 33-item Arabic Psychosocial Skills Scale. The development phase included item generation from a literature review and validated instruments, content validation by five experts, and a pilot test with 30 adolescents confirming clarity and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.81). The validation phase involved 2,307 adolescents aged 11–19 from Fez. The initial 38-item self-administered Likert-scale instrument (0–4) was refined to 33 items through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) (n = 661). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) (n = 1646) were used to examine the factorial structure. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha, while convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated through factor loadings, latent correlations, and constrained–unconstrained model comparisons. Model fit was assessed using standard indices. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. RESULTS: EFA identified an eight-factor structure, which was confirmed in the larger validation sample. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.75–0.96; total α = 0.90). Multidimensional models outperformed the unidimensional solution, with the bifactor ESEM model providing the best overall fit (RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.95). Convergent validity was supported by substantial factor loadings (λ = 0.50–0.87) and AVE values above 0.50, while discriminant validity was confirmed through lower inter-factor correlations and significant chi-square differences between constrained and unconstrained models. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the 33-item Arabic Psychosocial Skills Scale as a reliable and valid instrument, and analyses confirmed its multidimensional eight-factor structure, supporting its use as a concise tool for assessing psychosocial skills among Moroccan adolescents.