Adaptation of the Five-Factor Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale and its Psychometric Properties in Türkiye

This study aimed to adapt the Five-Factor Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (RSS-FF), a 22-item version derived from the original Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale with the Demonic subscale omitted, into Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties in Türkiye. The data of the current study were obtained using snowball and convenience sampling methods. A total of 327 participants, 245 female (74.9%) and 82 male (25.1%), aged between 18 and 58 (M = 30.3, SD = 10.1), constituted the sample of the study. The Five-Factor Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale, Spirituality Scale, and Meaning in Life Questionnaire were administered to the participants, along with the Satisfaction With Life Scale and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale Short Form. To evaluate structural validity, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted based on widely accepted structural equation modeling criteria, yielding acceptable model fit indices (χ²/df = 2.13, GFI = 0.90, AGFI = 0.86, CFI = 0.96, SRMR = 0.055), which provided empirical support for the proposed five-factor structure. All item factor loadings ranged between 0.63 and 0.91. For convergent and divergent validities, correlation analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between variables. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were found as Divine = 0.90, Interpersonal = 0.89, Moral = 0.88, Ultimate Meaning = 0.85, Doubt = 0.93, and Total Score = 0.94. The results of all analyses indicated that the RSS-FF is a valid and reliable instrument with strong psychometric properties. In addition, the RSS-FF is a useful tool for research conducted in Türkiye; however, it has several significant limitations, as noted.