Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Solastalgia Scale (SOS)

Solastalgia refers to the emotional reactions of pain, lack of solace and isolation that individuals experience due to the environmental degradation of the area in which they live. Deterioration or rapid changes in the places where people live due to urbanization, disasters and various industrial initiatives, especially climate change, have made solastalgia an interdisciplinary research topic. Therefore, the aim of this study is to adapt the Solastalgia Scale into Turkish and examine its psychometric properties in a non-clinical sample. The study included 434 participants aged between 18 and 65 years. Participants responded to the Solastalgia Scale and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). According to the results of CFA, which examined the construct validity of the Turkish version of the scale, the original two-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed and it was found that the factor loadings for the items in the Solace dimension ranged between .463 and .687, and the factor loadings for the items in the Algia dimension ranged between .811 and .922. SOS criterion validity, SOS total and its sub-dimensions and its relationship with the PCL-5 scale and its sub-scales were examined. According to the results of the correlation analysis, a moderate and positive significant relationship was found between SOS total and sub-dimensions and PCL-5 total and sub-dimensions. In addition, it was observed that all items of the SOS did not differ according to gender in terms of the answers given. Cronbach's Alpha, McDonald's Omega and Guttmann's Lambda values were examined for the reliability analysis of SOS. The values obtained as a result of the reliability analysis of the scale support the conclusion that both the total (α = .84; ω = .83, λ = .86) and the sub-dimensions of Solace (α = .77; ω = .77, λ = .77) and Algia (α = .90; ω = .91, λ = .87) have a very high level of reliability. In conclusion, according to the psychometric analyses, the Turkish version of the SOS was found to be reliable and valid. The scale is suitable for use with Turkish-speaking adults.