Work

Cross-cultural adaptation, validation, and measurement invariance of the First Aid Willingness Questionnaire (FAWQ) among Turkish adolescents

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study translated, culturally adapted, and evaluated the First Aid Willingness Questionnaire for Schoolchildren to assess adolescents' self-reported readiness to help and potential barriers to first-aid provision. METHODS: This cross-sectional psychometric study included 470 high school students in Aksaray, Türkiye. The questionnaire underwent forward-backward translation, review by 12 experts, and pilot testing with 35 students. Exploratory factor analysis derived the structure, which was subsequently evaluated via ordinal confirmatory factor analysis in the same sample. Content and construct validity, internal consistency, and measurement invariance across gender, grade level, and perceived family income were assessed. RESULTS: All item-level content validity ratios exceeded 0.83; the scale-level content validity index was 0.90. Removing two items yielded a 16-item, three-factor structure: First Aid Willingness, Negative Emotions, and Perceived Knowledge. The model showed acceptable fit: scaled χ²(101) = 288.09, p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.95; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.94; root mean square error of approximation = 0.06, 90% confidence interval [0.05, 0.07]; standardized root mean square residual = 0.06. Composite reliability ranged from 0.79 to 0.90. Average variance extracted ranged from 0.49 to 0.59, with borderline convergent validity for Negative Emotions. Discriminant validity was supported. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.72 to 0.87, and McDonald's omega from 0.74 to 0.87. Configural, threshold, metric, and scalar invariance were supported across all grouping variables. Strict invariance was supported across grade level and perceived family income, but not gender. CONCLUSION: The results provide preliminary evidence for the Turkish questionnaire's psychometric properties and support subscale interpretation and latent mean comparisons within the study sample. Independent replication and evaluation of temporal stability, responsiveness, and external validity are needed.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361329

Authors: Harun Özbey, Özlem Çalışır, Meral Bayat, Sultan Beşiktaş, Aklilu Abrham Roba

Institutions: Erciyes University, Haramaya University

Language: English

Topic: Health Education and Validation

Subfield: Research and Theory

Field: Nursing

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382