Development and validation of the Digital Fertility Influence Scale: Evidence from Türkiye

ABSTRACT Objective To develop and validate the Digital Fertility Influence Scale (DFIS), an instrument designed to assess how digital media shape women's fertility‐related reasoning, perceptions, and emotional responses within the Turkish cultural context. Background Digital platforms increasingly shape reproductive health by circulating information, social norms, and cultural ideals surrounding fertility and motherhood. Yet no validated scale exists to capture the combined social, informational, and representational influences of these environments. Method An initial 25‐item pool was generated from the literature and expert consultation and refined to 21 items following content validity review. The items were tested with two independent samples of Turkish women aged 18 to 49 ( n = 196 for exploratory factor analysis [EFA]; n = 444 for confirmatory factor analysis [CFA]). Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω; validity with average variance extracted (AVE), composite reliability (CR), and model fit indices. Results EFA revealed a 13‐item, three‐factor structure: digital social influence, digital information access, and parenthood representations. CFA confirmed the model with acceptable fit (χ 2 / df = 3.48, comparative fit index = .92, root mean square error of approximation = .07, standardized root mean squared residual = .05). Reliability was strong (α = .726–.794; total α = .866), and convergent validity was supported (AVE = .51–.58, CR = .81–.86). Conclusion The DFIS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring digital media's influence women's fertility‐related cognition, emotion, and social reasoning. Implications The scale can guide reproductive health professionals, policymakers, and digital platform designers in developing interventions that address both informational benefits and normative pressures in digital environments.