Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Preliminary Validation of the Comprehensive Cannabis Motives Questionnaire in Dutch and Spanish.

BACKGROUND

Understanding the motivational pathways underlying cannabis use across cultural contexts is essential for advancing clinical assessment and theoretical models of substance use motivation. The Comprehensive Cannabis Motives Questionnaire (CCMQ) captures a range of cannabis use motives. This study validated Dutch and Spanish translations and examined their psychometric properties.

METHODS

Following forward and back-translation, cannabis users in the Netherlands (N = 200) and Spain (N = 209) completed the CCMQ and the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) assessed model fit per translation, and multi-group testing examined configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance across language, country, and sex. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and correlations tested predictive validity for CUDIT-R scores.

RESULTS

CFA supported the original eight-factor structure in both samples. After removing a Food item and two low-variance Conformity items from the Dutch translation, a 38-item instrument supported strict invariance across English, Dutch, and Spanish groups; sex comparisons used 40 items (CCMQ2 removed) and English/Spanish-only comparisons retained the full 41-item instrument. SEM and correlations examined associations between CCMQ subscales and CUDIT-R scores.

CONCLUSION

The Dutch and Spanish CCMQ versions demonstrated strong psychometric properties and cross-cultural validity. Findings highlight the importance of culturally nuanced interpretation of motivational constructs.