The Adaptation of Sense of Control Scale into Turkish and Examination of Its Psychometric Properties

The sense of control is characterized as a learned sense of expectation that the results encountered in individual life depend on their own preferences and actions. Studies have shown that the ability of maintaining this feeling is positively related to psychical health and psychological well-being of individuals. Thus, it is important to have a measurement tool that can accurately and consistently evaluate this concept. In this context, in this study it was aimed to carry out the translation and adaptation studies of the Sense of Control Scale (SCS) developed by Lachman and Weaver (1998) to measure individuals’ general sense of control and make the measurement tool available to researchers and field experts in counselling and mental health. The participant group in the study was 740 students studying at different state universities in Türkiye, and the data collection tools were Personal Information Form, SCS, Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and Locus of Control Scale (LCS). In order to examine the psychometric properties of the SCS, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and test-retest analysis were performed, and we examined the scale's relationship with the LCS to assess similar scale validity, and with the sub-dimensions of the BSI to assess criterion-related validity. The findings of this study revealed that the SCS is a psychometrically valid and reliable tool for determining the general sense of control. In this direction, it is possible to say that the Turkish form of the SCS makes an important contribution to the counselling and mental health literature and enables the use of researchers and experts in related fields.