Sinhala translation and cultural adaptation of the Short Form of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale (SF-MJS) and its uses in assessing the proportion and phenomenology of morbid jealousy in a psychiatry clinic in Sri Lanka

Background: Morbid jealousy is a psychiatric condition with significant clinical implications, characterized by emotional, cognitive, and behavioural disturbances. Despite its relevance, no validated screening tools exist for the Sinhala-speaking population. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Short Form of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale (SF-MJS) into Sinhala (SF-MJS-S) and explore the proportion and phenomenology of morbid jealousy.
Aims: To develop a culturally appropriate screening tool for morbid jealousy in Sinhala and examine its proportion and clinical manifestations.
Methods: A forward-backward translation process ensured semantic and cultural equivalence of SF-MJS-S. After content, face validity and pre-testing a cross-sectional study was performed among psychiatry outpatient clinics in a Base Hospital in Sri Lanka.
Results: The study involved 220 participants, with a 91.6%response rate, and the sample was predominantly female (57.3%) and aged over 30 years (73%). The proportion of MJ by clinical assessment was 25%while the screening tool with Area Under ROC curve of 0.967 (SE=0.013), highest Youden’s Index (0.831), optimal cutoff score of 68.5, SF-MJS-S identified proportion of MJ as 23.2% with sensitivity of 85.5%and specificity of 97.6%, reflecting excellent discrimination ability. The tool showed excellent internal consistency (CA=0.943), outperforming the original SF-MJS. Sociodemographic factors such as occupational status and previous psychotic spectrum diagnoses were significantly associated with the presence of MJ while no significant associations were found with age, gender, education level, relationship status, or substance use. Most common psycho-pathology was delusions.
Conclusion: SF-MJS-S is a reliable and valid screening tool for morbid jealousy in Sinhala-speaking psychiatric patients.