Factorial Structure and Psychometric Assessment of the Brief Self-Control Scale among Arab Universities’ Students*

Abstract

The present study investigated the factorial structure and psychometric characteristics, particularly reliability and validity, of the brief self-control scale amongst Arab university students (N = 525) utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The construct validity was gauged by examining the scale relationship with ambiguity tolerance. The findings of the exploratory factor analysis suggested that a two-factor structure was the optimal factorial solution, accounting for 30.93% of the variance in the study sample. Factor 1 had nine items and was named impulsivity. Factor 2 had four items and was called self-discipline. Both factors had good and acceptable reliability coefficients. The findings of confirmatory factor analysis provided supporting evidence of the estimated two-factor structure after applying modification indices of the model. The construct validity was substantiated by estimating a significant positive moderate association between self-control and ambiguity tolerance. These findings showed that the brief self-control scale is a reliable and valid measurement tool to evaluate students’ self-control in the academic context of Arabic culture.