Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Diabetes Strengths and Resilience Measure for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Resilience in diabetes refers to the capacity overcome diabetes-related challenges to achieve favorable psychosocial and health outcomes. Despite the known benefits of resilience in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), there tends to be more emphasis on risk factors in research and practice. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Diabetes Strengths and Resilience Measure for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes (DSTAR-Teen) in Turkey. METHODS: This descriptive, methodological study was conducted between October 2020 and May 2021. The Turkish DSTAR-Teen was administered to 120 adolescents with T1DM, and the data were evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, factor analyses, test-retest correlation, and item-total score correlations. RESULTS: The Turkish DSTAR-Teen has 12 items in two factors that explained 50.64% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed goodness-of-fit and comparative fit indices of 0.92 and 0.95, respectively. The total Cronbach’s alpha value of the scale was 0.85. Item-total score correlations ranged from 0.49 to 0.74 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our analyses showed that the Turkish DSTAR-Teen is a valid and reliable instrument in Turkish adolescents with T1DM. The Turkish DSTAR-Teen can be used to evaluate strengths and resilience associated with diabetes management in adolescents with T1DM in Turkey.