Psychometric Properties of the Reflective Function Questionnaire in Iranian Prisoners

Abstract

Reflective functioning is the process of reflecting on the thoughts and feelings of oneself and others and is foundational to healthy human relationships. The 54-item Reflective Function Questionnaire (RFQ) is a self-report measure that assesses reflective functioning, initially developed while studying individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) . The purpose of the present study was to translate the RFQ from English to Persian and evaluate its reliability and validity among Iranian prisoners. The sample of this study included 509 (455 men and 54 women) Iranian prisoners. Findings confirm the translated measure had acceptable face and content validity. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed two dimensions of certainty (RFQ-c) and uncertainty (RFQ-u) of reflective functioning. The correlation analysis showed positive relationships between the dimensions of the RFQ and the borderline personality symptoms questionnaire and the emotional dissatisfaction questionnaire. Correlation analysis also showed negative associations between the dimensions of the RFQ and the Toronto Basic Empathy Scale (BES) and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) questionnaire, confirming the concurrent validity of the RFQ. The Cronbach’s alphas of the RFQ-c and RFQ-u subscales were .69 and .7 respectively, which demonstrated relatively acceptable internal consistency. The results of the analysis demonstrated that the translated RFQ had desirable psychometric properties for evaluating reflective function among Iranian prisoners.