The Reliability and Validity of Self Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH) in a Turkish Sample

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the reliability and validity of Self Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH) in a Turkish sample. Methods: The scale items were translated into Turkish by the researchers and three specialists who have good knowledge of both languages. The scale was translated back by two specialists, and experts opinions from different fields were consulted on the properness of the phrases. The scale was pre-administered to 40 university students. The scale was administered to a group of 299 university students so as to obtain results on validity and reliability, and to a group of 202 university students so as to find out the concurrent validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) were conducted to determine and confirm the structure of the scale. The scale was administered to a group of 40 university students over a three weeks interval for test-retest reliability of the scale. Results: EFA and CFA showed that the items had a two-factor structure in Turkish culture. It was found out that factor loading of the 23 items ranged between 0.533 and 0.771; item-total correlation ranged between 0.445 and 0.754. Internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) of the whole scale was found out to be 0.90, coefficient of stability 0.82, concurrent validity 0.71. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the Turkish version of SSOSH is a reliable and valid scale for the assessment of self-stigma of seeking help on university student population.