Turkish validity and reliability of the screening scale for indirect trauma caused by media exposure to social disasters (SITMES)

The present study aimed to address the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Screening Scale for Indirect Trauma Caused by Media Exposure to Social Disasters (SITMES). This study was a methodological research. The data was collected between July 17 and September 18, 2023. The sample consisted of individuals aged 18 and older residing in any province across Turkiye. The data of 530 participants were collected through online (Google Forms) and face-to-face (for test–retest purposes) methods (405 through Google Forms and 125 face-to-face participants in Burdur province). The data were collected using a demographic information form (six questions), the SITMES (24 items), the 6-item Brief Resilience Scale, and the 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised. All analyses were performed on the SPSS 25.0 and LISREL programmes. Cronbach's α values were calculated to be .91 for the “psychological, physical, and behavioural responses to social disasters” subscale, 0.89 for the “moral resentment due to social disasters” subscale, 0.86 for the “a sense of threat to life due to social disasters” subscale, and 0.92 for the SITMES total score. The replicated confirmatory factor analysis with the mentioned modifications yielded the following goodness-of-fit indices: p < .05, χ²/df = 4.1, RMSEA = 0.07, RMR = 0.08, SRMR = 0.06, NFI = 0.88, NNFI = 0.90, CFI = 0.91, IFI = 0.91, and ECVI = 2.13. The findings revealed that the scale consisting of 24 items within three subscales can validly and reliably utilized in the Turkish context.