Reliability and Validity of Fear of Happiness Scale: A Case Study of University Students

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine whether the Happiness Fear Scale (FHS) developed by Joshanloo and Weijers (2014) is suitable for Turkish culture. For this purpose, validity and reliability of the scale were examined. The study consisted of 180 university students, 87 male and 23 female. The linguistic equivalence of the scale was made by translators and experts in psychological counseling and guidance. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Similar Scale Validity, Cronbach Alpha Internal Consistency and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were used in the analysis of the factor analysis of the scale. The scale presents a one-dimensional structure and accounts for 65% of the total variance. The item total correlation scores ranged from .60 to .72. The one-dimensional structure of the scale was well matched by the model (RMSEA = .06, AGFI = 0.92, NFI = .98, GFI = 0.9, CFI = 0.99, IFI = 0.99, RFI = .95, and SRMR = .03). The internal consistency coefficient was found .86. From here it is possible to say that this scale is a reliable and valid measuring instrument suitable for Turkish culture.