Turkish Version of Child Worry Questionnaire Proves Reliable and Valid

Worry is a familiar experience for most people, but when it becomes excessive and hard to control it can turn into genuine psychological distress. The research, published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development, was carried out by Muazzez Yıldırım and Sait Uluç together with Eliza Swindell and Bruce F. Chorpita. Their sample consisted of 171 Turkish children aged between 8 and 18, with a mean age of 12.05 years and a standard deviation of 3.37.

From this group the team gathered the evidence needed to judge both the reliability and the validity of the adapted scale. Reliability came out strongly. The Turkish version of the PSWQ-C showed high test-retest reliability, meaning children's scores remained stable when the measure was repeated, and it also produced excellent internal consistency, indicating that the 14 items hang together as a coherent set rather than measuring unrelated things.

To probe validity, the researchers examined how the questionnaire correlated with three established measures: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale Child Form and the Metacognition Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents. These instruments tap constructs that are theoretically related to worry, so meaningful correlations would support the claim that the Turkish PSWQ-C is measuring what it is supposed to measure. The structural question was more subtle.

Drawing on the adult version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, the team evaluated two competing factor models. The first was a single-factor model in which all 14 items load onto one latent construct, worry itself. The second was a bifactor model consisting of one general trait factor plus a method factor accounting for the reverse-scored items, those worded so that agreement signals an absence of worry.

The results suggest that the questionnaire ultimately measures a single latent construct, worry, which is good news for anyone hoping to use a total score in research or practice. At the same time, the bifactor model showed the best statistical fit to the data, and the extra factor appeared to reflect a method effect tied specifically to the reverse-scored items rather than a second substantive dimension of worry. That distinction matters for measurement specialists.

The practical conclusion is that the Turkish PSWQ-C can be treated as an index of one underlying construct. Overall, the authors conclude that the adapted questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity and appears to be a useful tool for objectively assessing worry in Turkish children. With a validated Turkish version now available, researchers and clinicians working with Turkish-speaking young people have a psychometrically supported instrument for studying excessive and uncontrollable worry in this age group.

Subject of Research: Turkish adaptation and psychometric validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children

Article Title: Turkish Adaptation and Validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C): Factor Structure, Reliability and Validity

Article References: Yıldırım, M., Swindell, E., Chorpita, B. F., & Uluç, S. (2026). Turkish Adaptation and Validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C): Factor Structure, Reliability and Validity. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-026-02114-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10578-026-02114-3

Keywords: worry, PSWQ-C, Turkish adaptation, psychometrics, children, reliability, validity, bifactor model, anxiety, questionnaire validation, Turkish, Adaptation