Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale: Adaptation to Turkish, Validity and Reliability

Disasters are complex processes that disrupt the psychosocial equilibrium of individuals. The psychological adaptation and resilience exhibited by individuals during these processes are considered the most critical indicators of recovery capacity. The primary objective of this study is to adapt the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS), developed by Jennifer M. First, into Turkish and to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool suitable for the cultural context. The research was conducted in 2025 with a total of 1.206 disaster survivors (pilot: 407, main application: 799) in the provinces of Izmir, Trabzon, and Malatya. The adaptation process followed the stages of forward-backward translation, expert opinions, and pilot implementation. Descriptive statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation techniques were utilized for data analysis. As a result of the EFA (Exploratory Factor Analysis), the five-factor structure of the scale was validated, accounting for 79,82% of the total variance. KMO values were determined between 0,923 and 0,956 for the sub-dimensions and 0,936 for the overall scale (p < 0,05). Bartlett’s test results confirmed the suitability of the dataset for analysis. CFA (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) findings (CMIN/DF=2,894; RMSEA=0,049; CFI=0,966) indicated a strong model fit. Internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s Alpha) were found to be between 0,901 and 0,936 for the sub-dimensions and 0,954 for the overall scale. Furthermore, demographic and disaster-related variables including gender, occupation, education, income, residential location, disaster type, and housing type had statistically significant effects on adaptation and resilience levels (p<0,05). The Turkish version of the DARS is a valid and reliable instrument that can be effectively utilized in scientific research and field applications to evaluate psychological adaptation and resilience to disasters. It is highly recommended as a foundational reference tool for identifying high-risk groups post-disaster and measuring the effectiveness of psychosocial intervention programs.