Development and Validation of the Attitudes Toward Singlehood Scale Among Undergraduate Students in Malaysia and India

Abstract

Although romantic relationships have been found to boost well-being, some studies demonstrated that staying single has similar beneficial effects. One cause of such contradiction is probably due to the lack of a quantitative measurement of attitudes toward singlehood. To address this methodological gap, four studies involving 1,276 undergraduate students in Malaysia and India were conducted to develop and examine the psychometric qualities of the Attitudes toward Singlehood Scale (AtSS). Study 1 selected 15 items from the pool and identified a 3-factor solution using exploratory factor analysis. However, a 9-item second-order factor model was found superior in Study 2 using confirmatory factor analysis. The 9-item AtSS demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability measured two weeks apart as well as construct and criterion validity. Study 3 further supported the superiority of the 9-item second-order factor model with replicated results of Study 2 on a new sample. Measurement invariance test supported scalar invariance across gender while ANCOVA showed female participants displaying higher scores than male counterparts. Study 4 then examined the properties of the 9-item AtSS on a sample of young adults in India. The results are consistent with Study 2 and 3, lending further support to the usability of the AtSS in different cultural contexts. Overall, the consistent findings promote the AtSS as a promising tool for assessing young adults’ attitudes toward singlehood. Implication and suggestions for future studies are also discussed.

Feelings toward lying flatism and attitudes toward singlehood: the mediating role of happiness belief

“…The Attitudes toward Singlehood Scale (AtSS) was used to measure the attitudes of young adults toward singlehood [ 37 ]. The AtSS consists of 9 items with 3 items each for the affective, behavioral, and cognitive subscales.…”

“…However, it has been found that staying single can be beneficial to individuals’ well-being [ 3 , 37 ]. Individuals who are always single can be as happy as individuals who are currently married [ 38 ].…”

“…Involuntary singlehood refers to people experiencing difficulties in attracting a partner due to poor qualities [ 46 ], while voluntary singlehood refers to people being single of their own will [ 1 ]. To better understand people’s view of singlehood, Tan and colleagues [ 37 ] developed the Attitudes toward Singlehood Scale (AtSS) to examine people’s attitudes toward singlehood from the affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects. Tan and colleagues found that individuals who have positive attitudes toward singlehood tend to have a higher level of life satisfaction and well-being.…”

Antecedents of the Attitudes Toward Singlehood Among Young Adults in Malaysia, Japan, and India

“…We declare that 342 of the 348 Indian responses were used in the publication by Tan et al (2021). The goal of the publication was to examine the psychometric properties of the Attitudes toward Singlehood Scale, which is totally different from the goal of the present study.…”

“…The nine-item attitudes toward singlehood scale (AtSS) was used to measure individuals' opinions about singlehood in affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions Tan et al, 2021. Each dimension consists of three items.…”