Validation of the Malay version of the mannheim dream questionnaire among the Malaysian population

Background: Dream is a common phenomenon that people experienced throughout their lives. So far, there is no validated questionnaire available to assess dream experiences for the Malaysian population. One of the established tools available to measure dream experience and
the attitude towards the dream is Mannheim Dream Questionnaire (MADRE). Therefore, there
is a need to validate the Malay version of MADRE to explore dream experiences among the local population and their associated factors.
Objective: The study aims to validate the Malay version of the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire (M-MADRE)
Method: A cross-sectional study involving 412 participants from 18 years and above was conducted from August 2020 until October 200 via an online questionnaire form. M-MADRE
was initially translated from the simplified English translated Persian Version of MADRE into Malay using forward and backward translation procedures by experts. Content Validation Index was done to ensure M-MADRE has good content validity. The finalized version of MMADRE was harmonized and pre-tested on 31 participants. Study participants then completed the socio-demographic questionnaire and M-MADRE questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and RStudio software for construct validity by performing exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, construct reliability, and test-retest reliability.
Result: In this study, the final model of M-MADRE most fitting the data comprises 3 factors with 21 items, compared to Persian Version with 24 items and 6 factors. The findings revealed acceptable fit indices (RMSEA=0.062, CFI=0.936, TLI=0.927, SRMR=0.054), overall Cronbach’s alpha are acceptable (0.86-0.93), and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.95).
Conclusion: The study revealed that a 3-factor model with 21 items of Malay Version of MADRE has good psychometric properties. The scale is valid and reliable to measure dream
experience and attitude towards dreams among the Malaysian population.
Keywords: Factor Analysis, Dream, Nightmare, Validity, Malaysia