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Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire in a Sample of Chinese Adolescents Living in Hong Kong

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Abstract

Background

While Western academia has increasingly recognized the importance of studying existential anxiety among adolescents, psychometrically valid and reliable tools for measuring this construct remain unavailable in Chinese societies.

Objective

This research investigated the empirical viability of the construct of existential anxiety in Chinese adolescents. Specifically, it examined if a similar factor structure and set of theoretical associations existed as found in previous western samples and provided initial psychometric data on the Chinese version of the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (C-EAQ).

Methods

A sample of 1205 Hong Kong Chinese high school students was recruited to complete a questionnaire comprising items of the C-EAQ and several validation measures.

Results

An exploratory factor analysis on 621 randomly selected participants of the sample yielded a new threefold factor structure with 12 items. A confirmatory factor analysis on the remaining 584 participants demonstrated an acceptable model fit. These factors revealed three separate but related constructs of existential anxiety, namely, anxiety about the meaning of life and death, anxiety about condemnation and guilt, and non-acceptance of anxiety about the meaning of life and death. The construct validity of C-EAQ was supported by significant correlations with measures of fear of death, internal locus of control, presence of meaning, life satisfaction, and self-esteem.

Conclusion

As the results suggest possible different interpretations of existential anxiety in Chinese culture, further studies should be undertaken to examine what constitutes the content areas or personal themes that generate existential anxiety among Chinese adolescents. Implications can also be drawn for youth work practice.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Women’s Foundation, Hong Kong (Grant Number: 7050555). Our heartfelt thanks are also given to the editor and two anonymous reviewers.

Funding

This study was funded by the Women’s Foundation, Hong Kong.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong

    Siu-ming To & Wallace Chi-ho Chan

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  1. Siu-ming To
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  2. Wallace Chi-ho Chan
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Correspondence to Siu-ming To.

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The authors declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights Statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were approved by the Survey and Behavioral Research Ethics Committee of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by the author.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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To, Sm., Chan, W.Ch. Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire in a Sample of Chinese Adolescents Living in Hong Kong. Child Youth Care Forum 45, 487–503 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-016-9347-0

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