Arabic adaptation, reliability and validity study of the sociocultural adaptation scale-revised (SCAS-R) among a sample of Syrian refugees living in Gaziantep/Turkey

The aim of this study is to investigate the validity, reliability and the Arabic language equivalence of the (SCAS-R) Socio-cultural Adaptation Scale that was created by Colleen Ward and Antony Kennedy (1999) and revised by Jessie Wilson (2013). Two different groups have taken part in this study. Initially, after the Arabic translation of the scale was made, 22 people were found who can speak both Arabic and English fluently. These people were chosen for the language equivalency and were not included in the reliability and validity aspects. The second group is comprised of Syrians who live in Gaziantep, who have either the Temporary Protection Identification card, or residency permit. This group is comprised of 18 and older, 439 Syrians who are from different neighborhoods, economic status and socio-demographic backgrounds. With the analysis of the results of this study, the questions below have been tried to be answered. 1. Does the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R) have cross-language equivalence? 2. Is the Arabic Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R) a valid measurement? 3. Is the Arabic Sociocultural Adaptation Scale a reliable measurement? As a data collection tool, the Socio-Cultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R) which was created by Ward and Kennedy (199) and revised by Wilson (2013) was used in addition to collecting disaggregated sex and age data. To test the cross-cultural language equivalency in this study, the Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient and a T test was used for the dependent groups. The points used in the scale were calculated using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. All of these analyses have been conducted on the PASW Statistic 18 program. The validity of the scale was studied with the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). For CFA, the Lisrel 8.7 program was used. With this study, the aim was to have a culturally appropriate and linguistically equivalent of the Socio-Cultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R). When the language equivalence was deemed reliable, the confirmatory factor analysis was used and it was deemed that the comparison between the original SCAS-R was valid. The points calculated from the scales were re-confirmed and it was seen that the reliability coefficents were high. With all results analyzed, it has been understood that the SCAS-R is a scale that is valid and reliable for the Arabic culture. The results of this study were supported with additional literature research, and was presented to policy makers, researchers, and humanitarian workers. Key Words: Social Cohesion, Socio-Cultural Adaptation Scale, Migrant, Validity, Reliability.