[The reliability and validity of the White Bear Suppression Inventory]

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI) is a self-report measure for assessing the tendency to suppress unwanted intrusive thoughts.
• Evaluating the psychometric properties of the WBSI in different cultural contexts is crucial for its widespread application.
• Previous research has established the WBSI's utility in various populations, but its performance in Turkish samples requires specific investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the reliability and validity of the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI) in a Turkish sample.
• To determine if the WBSI can effectively differentiate between individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• The study included 30 patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and 47 healthy subjects.
• Internal consistency and homogeneity were assessed using Cronbach's alpha and Pearson correlation analysis.
• Test-retest reliability was evaluated using Student's t test and Pearson correlation analysis, while validity was assessed using Student's t test in independent groups.

Main Results:

• The WBSI demonstrated high internal consistency in the Turkish sample, with Cronbach's alpha reported at 0.92.
• All items on the WBSI showed a positive correlation with the total scores, indicating good item homogeneity.
• The WBSI effectively discriminated between patients with OCD and healthy subjects, with the exception of item 5.

Conclusions:

• The Turkish version of the WBSI exhibits appropriate reliability and validity for measuring the suppression tendency of unwanted intrusive thoughts.
• The findings support the use of the WBSI as a valuable tool for clinical and research purposes within a Turkish-speaking population.
• The study contributes to the cross-cultural validation of psychological instruments used in the assessment of thought suppression.