Cross-cultural adaptation of the Future Anxiety Scale: evidence from Indonesian emerging adults

Purpose Emerging adults have numerous pressures during the transition to adulthood, highlighting the necessity of evaluating future anxiety to prevent more severe psychological issues. This study aims to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Future Anxiety Scale (FAS) by Zaleski for emerging adults in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach The FAS was translated and culturally adapted to Bahasa Indonesia, following Beaton’s guidelines. Content validity was evaluated by a panel of six experts, yielding satisfactory results. The final version was administered to 508 emerging adults aged 18–25 years across seven provinces in Indonesia. The sample was randomly split into two groups (n = 254 each) to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for evaluating internal structure. Internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. Findings According to the EFA results, three factors emerged as the most interpretable model, which indicated a multi-factor structure. An acceptable fit was shown by subsequent CFA: χ²(185) = 445, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.919; TLI = 0.908; SRMR = 0.0517; RMSEA = 0.0744. Cronbach’s alpha values for the three factors of the Indonesian FAS ranged from 0.722 to 0.914, indicating strong internal consistency as well. These findings support the validity and reliability of the scale for evaluating future anxiety in Indonesian emerging adults. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study provides the first validated Indonesian version of the FAS, addressing the gap in culturally relevant tools for assessing future anxiety in non-Western contexts.