A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF THE AMBIVALENT AGEISM SCALE

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale, which measures 2 forms of ageism, namely benevolent and hostile ageism. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 222 adults through an online survey. Participants completed Turkish versions of the 13-item Ambivalent Ageism Scale and the Implicit Association Test adapted for ageism. Construct validity was assessed through confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency and split-half consistency were also calculated. Criterion validity was assessed by correlating ambivalent ageism and its subscales with implicit ageism scores. Results: The results of confirmatory factor analysis of 12-items confirmed the original structure by exhibiting a good fit to the data (goodness of fit index = 0.93, p <.001, comparative fit index = 0.97, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.07). Internal consistency of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale and its 2 subscales were found to be satisfactory, with Cronbach's alpha being .89 for benevolent ageism (9 items), .79 for hostile ageism (3 items), and .89 for the total scale. Scale had a high split-half reliability coefficient (0.95). Implicit ageism positively correlated with ambivalent ageism (total score) and both benevolent ageism and hostile ageism (.22, .21, and .16, respectively). Except for cognitive assistance/protection, which was a sub-factor of benevolent ageism, no age and gender difference was found in any of the ageism scores. Conclusion: It was decided that the Turkish version of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale is a valid and reliable measure of negative attitudes toward older adults.