Ayse Ergun

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of Children's Somatization Inventory

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Childrens Somatization Inventory (CSI) in Turkish schoolchildren and adolescents. METHODS The CSI was translated using translation and back-translation. The participants were 813 schoolchildren, adolescents and their parents (n=453). Content and construct validity were assessed to test the validity of the CSI-24. Internal consistency reliability, interrater reliability (child-parent agreement) and test-retest reliability were assessed to test the reliability of the CSI-24. RESULTS Psychometric analyses of the Turkish version of the CSI-24 indicate high reliability and good content and construct validity. CONCLUSION The Turkish version of the CSI-24 is a useful instrument for measuring self-reported somatic complaints in Turkish schoolchildren and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 15.

Impact of a healthy nails program on nail-biting in Turkish schoolchildren: a controlled pretest-posttest study.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of a healthy nails program on nail-biting in Turkish schoolchildren. This quasi-experimental study was of pretest–posttest control group design. A total of 50 students of a primary school formed the intervention group, while 53 students from the same school formed the control group. Data were collected with a demographic form, a nail-biting follow-up form, and photographs of the fingernails. It was found that 68.9% of students were biting seven or more of their nails; 46.6% had damaged nail beds. In the intervention group, the rate of the children who were not biting their nails (baseline = 0%, 4th week = 56.0%, 8th week = 64.0%) increased significantly compared to the control group (baseline = 0%, 4th week = 15.1%, 8th week = 18.9%). Outcomes indicate the efficacy of the healthy nails program in reducing the nail-biting problem in schoolchildren.

Smoking and desire to quit smoking behavior in a sample of Turkish adolescents.

IntroductionThe age of starting the habit of smoking, one of the top causes of many illnesses, is usually in the period of adolescence. This study was conducted to determine students’ smoking status and to explore their desire to quit and their experiences during the cessation process. MethodsThis descriptive study was performed with 934 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 20 years at a vocational high school located in Istanbul, Turkey. The data were collected by using a survey form. ResultsThe mean age of the adolescents was 16.38 ± 1.12 years. Among the adolescents, 90.3% were male. Of the group, 29.9% reported that they had smoked at least once, and 12.1% of the participants smoked regularly. Among the students who smoked, 80% reported that they wanted to quit smoking. Among the smokers, 55.2% reported that they tried to quit smoking but could only stop smoking for a period of between 1 day and 1 month at maximum (71.4%). A group of 68.9% reported that they wanted to quit because they were afraid of getting sick in the future, 28.8% indicated economic reasons to quit smoking, and 24.2% reported that they wanted to stop smoking because they did not want to damage the environment. ConclusionMore than half of the smokers among the students had tried to stop smoking, but most of them had failed to quit. These results indicate that schools need programs for the cessation and the prevention of smoking.

Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy for Sun Protection: Measurement Among Turkish Adolescents

BackgroundSun protection is important for skin cancer prevention, but many adolescents do not protect themselves from the sun. Instrumentation derived from the transtheoretical model (TTM) can be used to study the process of change in health behaviors like sun protection. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to translate and adapt TTM-based decisional balance and self-efficacy for sun protection scales from English to Turkish and assess psychometric properties of scores when the scales are used among Turkish adolescents. MethodsThe Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) and the Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) for sun protection were adapted to Turkish culture using translation and back-translation. The scales were administered to a total of 900 adolescents in two Turkish schools. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess dimensionality. External validity was evaluated by comparing subscale scores across reported stages of change for sun protection. ResultsReliability estimates for scores on the DBS Pros and DBS Cons and the SES Sunscreen Use scales were high and SES Hat Use and Sun Avoidance were moderate. The two-factor correlated model for the DBS and the three-factor correlated model for the SES reported in other studies were confirmed. Means increased across the stages of change for sun protection and sunscreen use for the DBS Pros and the SES subscales as predicted by the TTM, but the pattern of DBS Cons means did not. DiscussionScores from the Turkish version of the DBS and SES for sun protection were valid, reliable, and appropriate for Turkish culture. The pattern of means for the SES and DBS Pros across the stages of change supported propositions of the TTM. Theoretical inconsistencies in the pattern of DBS Cons scores across the stages of change suggest that greater attention to conceptualization and measurement of the DBS Cons for sun protection and sunscreen use is needed.

The effect of psychological state and social support on nail-biting in adolescents: An exploratory study

Nail-biting is one of the most common behavioral problems in children. This study aimed to examine factors affecting nail-biting among adolescents and the effects of psychological state and social support on nail-biting. This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and May of 2014 in seven schools in Istanbul (N = 724). Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Brief Symptom Inventory, and Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale. This study found that 48.2% of adolescents in the 11- to 17-years-old age group had a habit of nail-biting. Anxiety, depression, negative self image, somatization, hostility, and three global index scores of adolescents who bit their nails were significantly higher than in those who did not. Social support scores of those who bit their nails were significantly lower than in those who did not in the ‘mother’ and ‘classmates’ subscales and total scores. Psychological state and social support were factors affecting nail-biting among adolescents.

Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Situational Self-Efficacy Scale for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Adolescents

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the situational self-efficacy scale for vegetable and fruit consumption in adolescents. Design. This was a methodological study. Setting. The study was conducted in four public secondary schools in Istanbul, Turkey. Subjects. Subjects were 1586 adolescents. Measures. Content and construct validity were assessed to test the validity of the scale. The reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Analysis. For confirmatory factor analysis, χ2 statistics plus other fit indices were used, including the goodness-of-fit index, the adjusted goodness-of-fit index, the nonnormed fit index, the comparative fit index, the standardized root mean residual, and the root mean square error of approximation. Pearsons correlation was used for test-retest reliability and item total correlation. The internal consistency was assessed by using Cronbach α. Results. Confirmatory factor analysis strongly supported the three-component structure representing positive social situations (α = .81), negative effect situations (α = .93), and difficult situations (α = .78). Psychometric analyses of the Turkish version of the situational self-efficacy scale indicate high reliability and good content and construct validity. Conclusion. Researchers and health professionals will find it useful to employ the Turkish situational self-efficacy scale in evaluating situational self-efficacy for fruit and vegetable consumption in Turkish adolescents.

71 Reliability and Validity of Turkish Version of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C)

Background and aims The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of Turkish version of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) developed by Kowalski et al. The PAQ-C is a validated self-report measure of physical activity widely used to assess physical activity in children (8–14 years of age). Methods This study was methodological design. The PAQ-C consists of nine questions was rated on a 5-point likert scale. The PAQ-C was translated using a translation/back-translation method. The subjects were 549 Turkish school children. The internal consistency of the PAQ-C was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Content validity was based on an experts’ panel and assessed by using a content validity index. Results The study was completed with 549 children (49.8% female, 50.2% male). Mean age of the participant was 10.30 years (SD= 0.71, range, 8–11 years). The overall Content validity index (CVI) was 98.75% which signified that the PAQ-C has good content validity. Correlation values of scale items were found between 0.21– 0.70 for all items as the result of item total score analysis. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found as 0.86. The scale had a fairly good test-retest reliability (r= 0.64, p<0.001). Conclusions Psychometric analyses of the Turkish version of PAQ-C indicate high reliability and good content and construct validity. The PAQ-C is a useful instrument for assess to physical activity patterns in Turkish children.