Development and psychometric assessment
of the household earthquake preparedness
questionnaire: an exploratory sequential
mixed-methods study

Development and psychometric assessment
of the household earthquake preparedness
questionnaire: an exploratory sequential
mixed-methods study

Household, Preparedness, Earthquake, Hazard, Questionnaire

Abstract
Introduction Earthquakes may lead to fatalities and property loss often due to lack of preparedness among
individuals. This study aimed to develop and assess the psychometric properies of a Household Preparedness for
Earthquake Hazards Questionnaire (HPE-Q).
Methods This study utilized a mixed-methods approach comprising of both qualitative and quantitative methods.
The qualitative phase concentrated on item generation through semi-structured interviews conducted with Iranian
households selected via purposive sampling, alongside a systematic literature review to develop a comprehensive
item pool for evaluating household preparedness for earthquake hazards. The quantitative phase focused on
item reduction and the assessment of the face, content, and construct validity. To evaluate the reliability of the
questionnaire Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated.
Results The initial item pool comprised 88 potential items. Face validity, content validity, and item analysis evaluation
was performed and the number of items was reduced to 61. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) further pruned the
instrument by eliminating 24 items and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) mandated the removal of 1 item resulting
in a finalized 36-item HPE-Q anchored by 7 main factors: knowledge, self-efficacy, social support, social participation,
collective efficacy, protective motivation and behavioral intention. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.92 and Interclass
Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of the total score was 0.93.
Conclusion Household preparedness for earthquakes is shaped by numerous factors that can either facilitate or
impede preparedness and these factors may differ across communities and households. This questionnaire can help
identify key aspects of households’ preparedness for earthquakes.
Keywords Household, Preparedness, Earthquake, Hazard, Questionnaire

Fatemeh Rezabeigi Davarani1

, Hamid Sharif-Nia2

, Mahmood Nekoei-Moghadam3

, Abedin Iranpour4
,

Narges Khanjani5

, Parya Jangipour Afshar6

and Hojjat Farahmandnia3*

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-025-01118-5

2026

peri irawan

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