Turkish validity and reliability of the multidimensional hope in counseling and psychotherapy scale

Purpose: This study aimed to adapt the "Multidimensional Hope in Counseling and Psychotherapy Scale" (MHCPS), originally developed in Canada, for use among Turkish speakers. Materials and methods: Data were collected in two phases from a total of 460 individuals (303 in the first phase and 157 in the second phase). As part of the scale adaptation process into Turkish, language validity procedures were conducted at the initial stage. Subsequently, reliability analysis was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alpha (α). The scale's structure was identified through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and confirmed using Guttman Split-Half, Spearman-Brown, semi-test, and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Criterion validity was evaluated using the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Results: In the original 34-item 5-point Likert MHCPS, five items with Cronbach’s alphas below 0.30 were removed. The remaining items exhibited alpha values ranging from 0.318 to 0.774, indicating acceptable reliability. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure (KMO=0.916) and Bartlett’s test (χ²=3691.735; p=0.001; N=406) confirmed sample adequacy for EFA. The EFA eliminated five additional overlapping items, resulting in a 24-item, four-factor structure with eigenvalues exceeding 1, accounting for 55% of the total variance, and factor loadings ranging from 0.428 to 0.777. Reliability was further supported by the Guttman Split-Half (0.861), Spearman-Brown (0.861), semi-test results (0.864, 0.823), and CFA indices (χ²/df=1.94, RMSEA:0.056, CFI:0.921, IFI:0.922, and GFI:0.886). A significant negative correlation with the BHS (r=−0.334, p<0.01) confirmed criterion validity. Conclusion: Validity and reliability analyses indicate that the MHCPS is suitable for use as a Turkish-language assessment tool.