Psychometric validation of the Arabic self-directed ageism scale among Lebanese middle-aged and older adults

Background Self-directed ageism is the internalization of negative societal stereotypes about one’s own aging. This concept has been linked to poorer mental health, diminished self-esteem, and reduced quality of life among the older population. Despite its relevance, there is currently no validated Arabic tool to measure this construct in Arab populations. This study aimed to validate the first Arabic version of the self-directed ageism scale in a Lebanese sample of middle-aged and older adults. Methods The original scale was translated into Arabic using the forward-backward translation method. It was then administered to a total of 223 community-dwelling and institutionalized middle-aged and older Lebanese adults alongside the Arabic version of the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale, the negative subscale of the Arabic version of the Kogan Attitudes Toward Older People scale, and the QOLS-6 scale, which was used to measure quality of life. Results Exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a unidimensional structure of the 11-item Arabic self-directed ageism scale. Furthermore, the scale presented high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.889) and convergent validity was partially supported through significant associations with self-esteem ( r = −0.547, p < 0.001), negative attitudes towards older people ( r = 0.205, p = 0.002) and quality of life ( r = 0.288, p < 0.001). Conclusion The Arabic self-directed ageism scale is a reliable instrument to measure self-directed ageism. This study provides the first quantitative tool to capture this phenomenon among Arabic-speaking populations.