Development and Validation of the Malaysia Cybervictimization Scale for Adolescents in Malay and Chinese Version

• Main Authors: Siah, Poh Chua, Tee, Xiang Yi, Tan, Chee-Seng, Tan, Joanna Tjin Ai, Lokithasan, Komathi, Low, Sew Kim, Yap, Chin Choo
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Adolescents; Cybervictimization; Factorial Structure; Malaysia; Reliability; Validity
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/apssr/vol24/iss4/9; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/apssr/article/1553/viewcontent/RA_208.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The increasing rate of cybervictimization has been documented in various countries, including Malaysia. However, there is a dearth of measurement tools with sound psychometric properties suitable for the Malaysian context. To address this methodological gap, the Malaysia Cybervictimization Scale for Adolescents (MyCVS-A) was developed based on qualitative inputs from adolescents in Malaysia. It was subsequently translated into Malay (MyCVS-A-M) and Chinese (MyCVS-A-C). Two studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of these two translated versions. In Study 1, 281 secondary school students completed the MyCVS-A-M, the Malay version of the cybervictimization subscale of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (CV-ECIPQ), and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results supported the MyCVS-A-M as a unidimensional scale, whereas coefficients of Cronbach alpha and McDonald omega and composite reliability supported its internal consistency. Moreover, in support of the convergent and concurrent validity, there was a positive correlation between the MyCVS-A-M scores and the scores of the CV-ECIPQ and SMFQ, respectively. In Study 2, 203 secondary school students answered the Chinese version of the MyCVS-A-C and the Chinese version of the CV-ECIPQ and SMFQ, and the findings replicated those of Study 1. The consistency supports the fact that the MyCVS-A is a useful self-report tool for assessing adolescents’ experiences of cybervictimization in the Malaysian context.