Validation of the humour styles questionnaire in healthcare professionals

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the reliability and validity of the HumourStyles Questionnaire (HSQ) in a sample of Spanish healthcare professionals.Design: A cross-sectional study.Methods: The version of HSQ translated into Spanish by Cayssials and Pérez was usedto validate on a sample of healthcare professionals (N = 250). The reliability analysedthe Crombach's α coefficient and Pearson's correlation coefficient between the fac-tors and the total scale score. The Exploratory Factor Analysis was carried out withKaiser's criteria for the extraction of factors with Varimax rotation.Results: HSQ in this study sample reproduced the similar structure of the originalversion with four factors (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive and self-defeating hu-mour). These factors explained 44.46% of the total variance and Cronbach's rangedfrom 0.64–0.79. Global HSQ scale reliability was 0.82.Conclusion: The HSQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing humour in health-care professionals.