Stress Responses and Coping Among Turkish Adolescents: Exploring Psychometric Properties of Responses to Stress Questionnaire in a Clinical Sample
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1037/pas0001473
- Dergi Adı: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Periodicals Index Online, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Social Sciences Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Responses to Stress Questionnaire-Turkish Version (RSQ-TR) in a clinically referred sample of adolescents with mixed psychiatric diagnoses. Although the RSQ is widely used in community and medically stressed populations, its psychometric properties have not been sufficiently investigated in clinical populations. In addition, T & uuml;rkiye's culturally hybrid context provides a unique setting to explore the RSQ's cross-cultural applicability and coping mechanisms in adolescents with psychiatric disorders. The sample comprised 435 adolescents (44.6% male; M-age = 14.45) from an outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry clinic in Istanbul. Participants completed the RSQ-TR, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Child Version, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and Friendship Qualities Scale. Construct validity and gender invariance were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multigroup CFA; reliability was assessed via Cronbach's alpha and test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient. CFA confirmed the five-factor model with acceptable fit (chi(2)/df = 3.11, comparative fit index = .91, root-mean-square error of approximation = .070). Multi-group CFA showed full measurement invariance across gender. The RSQ-TR demonstrated moderate to strong internal consistency (total alpha = .88; subscales .78-.86) and good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .72-.76). Engagement coping strategies were associated with lower psychopathology and better social functioning, while disengagement coping and involuntary stress responses were linked to greater internalizing symptoms and poorer social outcomes. Findings support the reliability and validity of RSQ-TR scores in clinically referred Turkish adolescents. The results extend evidence for the RSQ's structural robustness and clinical relevance to psychiatric samples with mixed diagnoses, supporting its use for identifying maladaptive stress responses and informing intervention planning in mental health settings.