Cultural Adaptation and Validation of Humor Style Questionnaire for Children in Hindi

Abstract

Research has demonstrated a strong connection between humor styles and general well-being and mental health. In the last two decades, a significant amount of literature has emerged on humor styles, establishing its significance in psychological research. While there has been some exploration of humor styles in India, existing studies have primarily utilized the English version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. Therefore, the current research aims to adapt this questionnaire into Hindi, making it more accessible for Hindi-speaking populations. A sample of 386 Hindi-speaking adolescents (269 males and 117 females) aged 12 to 19 years was selected for the study. All participants completed the General Health Questionnaire-30 and the Hindi version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire for Children. The factor structure of the Hindi version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire for Children was examined using both confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The confirmatory factor analysis yielded satisfactory results, with fit indices indicating a good model fit (χ²/df = 1.91; GFI = .91, which is above .90; RMSEA = .049, below .08; RMR = .055, also below .08). Additionally, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using the principal component method with varimax rotation revealed four factors with eigenvalues greater than one, accounting for 12.63%, 10.62%, 10.50%, and 8.61% of the variance, respectively. The concurrent validity of the scale was assessed by examining the link between various humor styles and mental health problems. Overall, the findings indicate that the adapted Hindi version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire for Children is a valid instrument for assessing humor styles in this population.