The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are fundamental characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There is a need for a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate the diversity of RRBs and assess their severity. The Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amir Mohammad Salehi, Shayan Bahadivand Chegini, Fatemeh Esmaeili, Niloofar Rabiei, Ensiyeh Jenabi, Mohammad Rezaei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:Health Science Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70984
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849395706525122560
author Amir Mohammad Salehi
Shayan Bahadivand Chegini
Fatemeh Esmaeili
Niloofar Rabiei
Ensiyeh Jenabi
Mohammad Rezaei
author_facet Amir Mohammad Salehi
Shayan Bahadivand Chegini
Fatemeh Esmaeili
Niloofar Rabiei
Ensiyeh Jenabi
Mohammad Rezaei
author_sort Amir Mohammad Salehi
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Background and Aims Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are fundamental characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There is a need for a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate the diversity of RRBs and assess their severity. The Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) is a recognized tool for screening RRBs. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the RBS‐R questionnaire in Iran by identifying children with ASD who have Persian‐speaking parents. Methods In this case–control study conducted in 2024 in Hamadan, 160 children were included: A case group diagnosed with autism (25 girls, 52 boys) and a control group of healthy volunteer children (30 girls, 53 boys) aged 4–12 years. The ASD group exhibited a minimum mean length of utterance (MLU) of 2. Participants diagnosed with intellectual disabilities were excluded from the study. The study assessed the reliability, content validity, and face validity to evaluate the psychometric properties of the tool. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify questionnaire subscales. All assumptions, including the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test, Bartlett's test, and question correlations, were checked. Subscales were extracted using ordinary least squares (OLS) and Equamax rotation, with the number of subscales determined based on the Scree plot method and eigenvalues greater than 1. Results The study identified six factors (aggressive, focused and self‐harming, resistant to change, obsessive, ritualistic, and insistent), which together explained 51.082% of the total variance. The Cronbach's alpha value for the Persian version of RBS‐R was reported as 0.924. The questionnaire showed a sensitivity of 88.31%, specificity of 83.13%, positive predictive value of 82.93%, negative predictive value of 88.46%, and an area under the curve of 91.7%. The selected cutoff value in this study was determined to be 17.5. Conclusion The Persian version of the RBS‐R is valid and reliable. It also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and sensitivity, suggesting that it can be used as a screening measure for ASD in Iran.
format Article
id doaj-art-3eab5266dc0e462bbf3f8f0ab3355d10
institution Kabale University
issn 2398-8835
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Health Science Reports
spelling doaj-art-3eab5266dc0e462bbf3f8f0ab3355d102025-08-20T03:39:32ZengWileyHealth Science Reports2398-88352025-07-0187n/an/a10.1002/hsr2.70984The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum DisorderAmir Mohammad Salehi0Shayan Bahadivand Chegini1Fatemeh Esmaeili2Niloofar Rabiei3Ensiyeh Jenabi4Mohammad Rezaei5Student Research Committee Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine Hamadan IranStudent Research Committee Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine Hamadan IranStudent Research Committee Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine Hamadan IranDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Hamadan IranMother and Child Care Research Center Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Hamadan IranAutism Spectrum Disorders Research Center Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Hamadan IranABSTRACT Background and Aims Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are fundamental characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There is a need for a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate the diversity of RRBs and assess their severity. The Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) is a recognized tool for screening RRBs. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the RBS‐R questionnaire in Iran by identifying children with ASD who have Persian‐speaking parents. Methods In this case–control study conducted in 2024 in Hamadan, 160 children were included: A case group diagnosed with autism (25 girls, 52 boys) and a control group of healthy volunteer children (30 girls, 53 boys) aged 4–12 years. The ASD group exhibited a minimum mean length of utterance (MLU) of 2. Participants diagnosed with intellectual disabilities were excluded from the study. The study assessed the reliability, content validity, and face validity to evaluate the psychometric properties of the tool. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify questionnaire subscales. All assumptions, including the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test, Bartlett's test, and question correlations, were checked. Subscales were extracted using ordinary least squares (OLS) and Equamax rotation, with the number of subscales determined based on the Scree plot method and eigenvalues greater than 1. Results The study identified six factors (aggressive, focused and self‐harming, resistant to change, obsessive, ritualistic, and insistent), which together explained 51.082% of the total variance. The Cronbach's alpha value for the Persian version of RBS‐R was reported as 0.924. The questionnaire showed a sensitivity of 88.31%, specificity of 83.13%, positive predictive value of 82.93%, negative predictive value of 88.46%, and an area under the curve of 91.7%. The selected cutoff value in this study was determined to be 17.5. Conclusion The Persian version of the RBS‐R is valid and reliable. It also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and sensitivity, suggesting that it can be used as a screening measure for ASD in Iran.https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70984autismIranpsychometrictranslatingvalidation studies
spellingShingle Amir Mohammad Salehi
Shayan Bahadivand Chegini
Fatemeh Esmaeili
Niloofar Rabiei
Ensiyeh Jenabi
Mohammad Rezaei
The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Health Science Reports
autism
Iran
psychometric
translating
validation studies
title The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_full The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_fullStr The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_full_unstemmed The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_short The Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of Repetitive Behavior Scale‐Revised (RBS‐R) Questionnaire in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
title_sort psychometric properties of the iranian version of repetitive behavior scale revised rbs r questionnaire in children with autism spectrum disorder
topic autism
Iran
psychometric
translating
validation studies
url https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70984
work_keys_str_mv AT amirmohammadsalehi thepsychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT shayanbahadivandchegini thepsychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT fatemehesmaeili thepsychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT niloofarrabiei thepsychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT ensiyehjenabi thepsychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT mohammadrezaei thepsychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT amirmohammadsalehi psychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT shayanbahadivandchegini psychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT fatemehesmaeili psychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT niloofarrabiei psychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT ensiyehjenabi psychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT mohammadrezaei psychometricpropertiesoftheiranianversionofrepetitivebehaviorscalerevisedrbsrquestionnaireinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder