Abstract

Successful Aging in Turkey: Psychometric properties of the adapted Turkish Successful Aging Scale

Author(s): Gorill Haugan, Oznur Korukcu, Kamile kabukcuoglu, Ismail Tufan, Anne-Sofie Helvik

Introduction: With better living conditions and medical advances globally, the longevity of people is increasing worldwide, demonstrating the importance of successful aging.
Aim: To investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish Successful Aging Scale (SAS) among older adults 60 years and older in Turkey.
Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 206 older individuals registered with an Active Senior Center between April and May 2019. Inclusion criteria were literate in Turkish, aged ≥ 60 years, no dementia, newly registered with the Active Senior Center, and volunteered to participate in the study.
Results: A low mean (SD) sum-score for the SAS 16.18 (5.15) revealed, with no significant association with age, income, marital status, working, and chronical illness. Principal Component Analysis indicated two factors explaining 54,75% of the variance. Confirmative Factor Analysis disclosed a poor fit, indicating misspecification. A model including 6 items and two dimensions was the most parsimonious and best
fitting solution: χ2=14.487 (df=8), χ2/df=1.81, p=0.0001, RMSEA=0.063, p-value for test of close fit=0.0295, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.97, and SRMR 0.033. Composite reliability for the two dimensions were good and acceptable, respectively.
Conclusion: The validity and reliability of the Turkish SAS two-dimensional measurement-model is acceptable. However, some items seemed redundant plausibly due to translation and cultural aspects. Possibly, the SAS content developed in a western context is highly culturally sensitive; working further on the Turkish wording and validation is recommended. Moreover, Turkish health authorities should
acknowledge a health promotion perspective supporting positive life behaviors among elderlies both at a system-oriented and an individual level.