Psychometric property examination of a self-assessment fear scale in Turkish children aged 4-12 years: a methodological study

Abstract

Background: Given the lack of validated tools to assess fear in Turkish children, this research aims to address this gap by conducting a methodological study to examine the validity and reliability of the Fear Scale, thereby providing health care professionals and researchers with a reliable instrument to evaluate fear levels in this population. Methods: The research was conducted on 150 children aged 4-12 years and their parents who applied to the pediatric blood collection unit of Koç University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. In the study, the "Sociodemographic Characteristics Form," "Fear Scale," and "Child Fear Scale" were used for data collection. Results: A very high statistically significant positive relationship was obtained between the Fear Scale and the Child Fear Scale (r = .973;p < .001). The high correlation value between the two forms indicates that the child form is valid. The content validity index and item content validity index values of the scale were found to be 0.98. A very good level of statistically significant agreement was achieved between the Fear Scale and the Child Fear Scale (κ = .878;p < .001). Conclusion: It was found that the Turkish psychometric properties of the Fear Scale are valid and reliable for children aged 4-12 years. It is suggested that pediatric nurses use the scale in clinics to evaluate their fear about procedural operations.