Validation of the Turkish version of the psychological distress scale in children and adolescents

Abstract

The measurement of psychological distress in children and adolescents plays an important role in assessing their emotional and mental health. This study includes two distinct studies focussing on psychological distress in Turkish adolescents aged 11-18 years (N1 = 467, N2 = 383). In Study I, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Item Response Theory, validity, and reliability analyses were conducted for the adaptation of the Psychological Distress Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPDS-10). In Study II, we tested whether mental toughness is a mediator in the relationship between optimism-pessimism and psychological distress and highlighted their role in the predictive validity analysis. This analysis was deemed to provide additional evidence for the adapted scale and was therefore deemed a supportive analysis. The study's findings demonstrate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of CAPDS-10, validating its use in measuring psychological distress in children and adolescents. However, the results of the study suggest that mental toughness mediates the relationship between optimism-pessimism and psychological distress. The scores obtained from The Psychological Distress Scale for Children and Adolescents adapted into Turkish within the scope of this study were found to be valid and reliable.