[Measuring Grief Symptoms in Cancer Patients: The Reliability and Validity Study of the Turkish Version of Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale]. / Kanser Hastalarinda Yas Belirtilerinin Ölçülmesi: Uzamis Yas Bozuklugu Ölçegi Türkçe Formu'nun Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalismasi.

OBJECTIVE: The need to grieve is not limited to losses due to death of significant others, but it also arises in reaction to various life events which result in a sense of loss. Grief is argued to be a universal and natural reaction also in face of life-theratening illnesses. Cancer is a phenomenon that has to be examined in terms of grief reactions since it inherits multiple losses. The aim of the current study is to test the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale-Patient Form (PG-12-Patient Form), which is used to measure grief symptoms in cancer patients. METHOD: Following the finalization of the Turkish form, the scale was applied to a sample of participants composed of 250 outpatients diagnosed with cancer. The participants were also presented with Hopelessness Scale and Illness Related Subjective Appraisals Scale for the purpose of examining criterion validity. RESULTS: Principle components analysis revealed that forced one-factor solution explaining 46% of the variance was satisfactory and gave a clearer factor structure than the dimensional solution. The Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency was found to be .88. The total scores obtained from the scale were found to have significant positive relationships with the scales used to test the criterion validity. CONCLUSION: The results provide evidence suggesting that the Turkish version of PG-12-Patient Form is a reliable and valid tool to measure grief symptoms in cancer patients.

Development of a coping with stress scale for a non-western population of children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the related literature numerous instruments have been developed to measure children and adolescents' coping with stress. Considering the cultural differences in individuals' choice for coping strategies, along with the limitations of the existing measures of coping for children and adolescents (e.g., being derived from coping measures developed for adults; unrepresentative samples with limited age range, etc.), the current study aimed to construct a self-report coping scale for a non-western population of children and adolescents. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study design included both qualitative and quantitative methodology. Three consecutive studies were conducted for the development and validation of the Children and Adolescents' Coping with Stress Scale (CACSS), a self-report measure assessing coping strategies of children and adolescents aged from 9 to 18 in response to self-identified stressors. RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a 61-item CACSS with 10 factors. The scale appears to have a clear factor structure; sufficient temporal stability; and good convergent, discriminant, and construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: By addressing limitations of existing coping scales, CACSS is believed to contribute to the literature as a developmentally appropriate and multidimensional tool.