The Psychometric Properties of General Mattering Scale, Anti-Mattering Scale, and Fear of Not Mattering Inventory and the Association With Loneliness Among Iranian Students

Abstract

Mattering is an important psychosocial construct, yet evidence regarding the psychometric properties of mattering measures among Iranian university students remains limited. This study examined the psychometric properties of three mattering scales and their associations with loneliness among Iranian university students. The sample consisted of 405 Iranian university students (356 women and 49 men) who completed the General Mattering Scale, the Anti-Mattering Scale, the Fear of Not Mattering Inventory, and the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA). Psychometric analyses examined factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, and criterion-related validity. Test-retest reliability was assessed over a 3-week interval in a subsample of participants. Psychometric analyses provided preliminary support for the one-factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, and criterion-related validity of the three mattering measures. Test-retest reliability across 3 weeks was high for all three measures. Analysis of mean scores indicated high levels of mattering and moderate levels of anti-mattering and loneliness. Regression analyses showed that each mattering measure was significantly associated with loneliness when entered simultaneously in the model. The findings provide preliminary support for the use of the three mattering measures among Iranian university students. However, further validation in more diverse and gender-balanced samples is warranted.