Validity and reliability study of the turkish version epilepsy self-stigma scale (ESSS-T)

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Neurology
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Self-stigmatization is a significant issue for patients with epilepsy (PWE).
• Validated measurement tools are crucial for assessing self-stigma in diverse populations.
• The Epilepsy Self-stigma Scale (ESSS) requires translation and validation for use in Turkey.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate the ESSS into Turkish, creating the ESSS-T.
• To examine the validity and reliability of the ESSS-T in Turkish PWE.
• To provide a culturally adapted tool for measuring self-stigma in this population.

Main Methods:

• Translation and back-translation of the ESSS.
• Administered ESSS-T along with Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, NDDI-E, and Stigma Scale for Epilepsy to 106 PWE.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA, CFA) and Cronbach's alpha for validity and reliability testing.

Main Results:

• EFA suggested a three-factor structure, while CFA indicated a unifactorial structure might be more appropriate.
• The ESSS-T demonstrated acceptable reliability with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.74 for the total scale and 0.69-0.74 for subscales.
• The scale showed good psychometric properties for the Turkish population.

Conclusions:

• The Turkish version of the ESSS (ESSS-T) is a valid and reliable instrument.
• The ESSS-T can be utilized to assess self-stigmatization among patients with epilepsy in Turkey.
• The scale's structure may be interpreted as unifactorial or three-dimensional, requiring careful consideration in application.