Psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of the Work-Related Stress Scale: A study among search and rescue workers responding to the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes

Abstract

This study evaluates the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Work-Related Stress Scale (WRSS) among search and rescue workers who responded to the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. Data were collected from 275 workers between January and April 2024 using the Personal Information Form and the Turkish version of the WRSS. Language, content, and construct validity were assessed, and reliability was determined using item-total correlation, Cronbach’s alpha, split-half, and test-retest methods. The scale demonstrated strong content validity with a CVI range of 0.9–1.0 and a mean CVI of 0.98. Exploratory factor analysis yielded factor loadings from 0.469 to 0.932, resulting in four factors that explained 75.3% of the variance. The reliability coefficients for the sub-dimensions ranged from 0.833 to 0.900, with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.913. These results indicate that the Turkish WRSS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing stress among search and rescue workers.