Modification of the Persian version of Hermans Achievement Motivation Questionnaire to develop an adapted scale for measuring motivation of post-stroke survivors in Iran

Background: Research has shown that in order for recovery from a stroke to occur, motivation for recovery has been essential component of rehabilitation. Researchers and clinicians have tended to categorize stroke survivors subjectively into two groups: those who have been motivated or unmotivated, perhaps due to the paucity of objective measures that distinguish the groups. Since classification of clients based on subjective inference would be prone to bias, this pilot study aimed to establish a regionally validated scale that was adequately standardized for measuring motivation of adult post-stroke survivors in Iran. Methods: The Persian version of Hermans Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (PHAMQ) was identified as the best test for the purposes of this study. A multistep process was undertaken to create an adapted scale from the PHAMQ that focused on functional behaviors, often seen in the process of rehabilitation. Thus, the Adapted Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (AAMQ) was examined for reliability and validity. Cronbach’s alpha was used for measuring internal consistency and expert panel opinions were sought to analyze the content validity of AAMQ. Results: A convenience sample of 25 stroke subjects comprised of 10 males and 15 females participated in this study with the mean age [(± standard deviation (SD)] 58.3 ± 9.8 years and range of 35-72 years. Expert opinion regarding the relevance of AAMQ items led to provide compelling evidence for a 28-item AAMQ. Cronbach’s alpha of 0.946 showed a perfect internal consistency for test items. Conclusion: This pilot study suggested that AAMQ could be utilized as a regionally validated scale for examining the motivational level of patients who have sustained strokes in Iran. Further research are recommended.