Turkish Version of the Forms of Responding to Self-Critical Thoughts Scale (FoReST): A Reliability and Validity Analysis over Non-Clinical Samples

Abstract

Objective: Forms of Responding to Self-Critical Thoughts Scale' (FoReST) is a self-evaluating scale that measures how flexible people respond to self-critical thoughts psychologically. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of FoReSt over a non-clinical sample. Methods: The study group consists of 109 university students. A demographic form, the Turkish version of FoReST, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-2), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) have been applied. Internal consistency, construct validity, convergent and concurrent validity, and temporal stability have been examined. Results: The data from 109 participants indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of the Turkish version of FoReST. The Turkish version of FoReST shows good internal consistency with Cronbach's a = 0.72. The test-retest analysis shows good temporal stability (r = 0.781, p < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) shows the Turkish version to have a two-dimensional structure just like the original form and to indicate good fit. (X-2 = 37.84, df = 25, X-2 / df = 1.35; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.93; SRMR = 0.09). Pearson's correlation analysis for convergent and concurrent validity show correlations to exist among FoReST, AAQ-2, SCS, RSE, and GHQ-2 (p < 0.001).. Conclusion: The Turkish version of FoReST is a valid and reliable scale for the Turkish speaking population. This scale can measure attitudes toward self-critical thoughts from the point of view of psychological flexibility.