Validating the Turkish Adaptation of the Fear of Being Single Scale

Abstract

People may experience anxiety regarding their future romantic relationship status. Fear of being single (FOBS) is a potential cause of this anxiety, characterized by distress about the idea of being single and assessed through the FOBS Scale. In the current study, the FOBS Scale was adapted into Turkish. The study included 349 individuals aged 28–55 years (M = 23.63 years, SD = 6.45 years). The reliability and validity of the measure and the associations with particular variables were investigated for the first time in the cultural context of Turkey. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed an acceptable model fit for the single‐factor structure. Measurement invariance of the scale across relationship status was supported at configural and metric levels, but not at the scalar level. The convergent and divergent validity analyses indicated that FOBS is distinct from generalized anxiety, attachment anxiety, and the personality trait of neuroticism. FOBS was found to be related to the need to belong but not to the inclusion of close others into the self. It has been determined that FOBS is a distinctive phenomenon, and the Turkish version of the FOBS Scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing FOBS in Turkey.