Turkish-speaking Women Research Articles

Turkish Validation and Reliability Analysis of the International Female Coital Incontinence Questionnaire.

Coital incontinence (CI) is an important problem that negatively affects women's quality of life and is often underreported owing to embarrassment, indicating the importance of its assessment with validated questionnaires. The aim of this study was to validate the Turkish-translated version of the International Female Coital Incontinence Questionnaire (IFCI-Q) for the objective evaluation of women with CI in Turkish-speaking populations. Ninety women with CI filled out the Turkish-translated version of IFCI-Q. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach's alpha, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were evaluated for the construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability, respectively. Known group validity, which is the ability of the scale to reveal the expected difference according to patients' demographics and PISQ-12 scores, was evaluated. The construct validity was confirmed after excluding the first and third items of the questionnaire (CFI 0.966, TLI 0.944). The first item was excluded from the CFA as all women who completed the IFCI-Q had CI and therefore answered this item questioning the existence of CI as "yes." The third item was eliminated because its factor loading was below 0.20. Cronbach's alpha value for the scale was 0.67. ICC was calculated as 0.97 (0.95-0.98; p < 0.001), indicating a strong positive agreement between the test scores at two time points 2 weeks apart. The Turkish version of IFCI-Q seems to be a reliable, consistent, and valid instrument in the screening and assessment of CI in a gynecology outpatient clinic-based cohort of Turkish-speaking women.

Turkish adaptation of the antenatal risk questionnaire-revised: study of validity and reliability

ObjectiveThis study sought to translate the Antenatal Risk Questionnaire-Revised (ANRQ-R) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties for assessing psychosocial vulnerabilities among Turkish-speaking pregnant women.MethodsThe ANRQ-R was translated into Turkish following standard linguistic adaptation procedures. Psychometric properties were then examined using a cross-sectional study design, involving 156 pregnant women recruited from antenatal clinics in Turkey. Participants completed the Turkish ANRQ-R and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Statistical analyses, including intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for test-retest reliability, Pearson correlation analysis for item-total test correlations, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis for diagnostic accuracy, were conducted.ResultsThe ANRQ-R Turkish version showed high test-retest reliability with an ICC of 0.888 for the total score. Moderate to good ICCs were obtained for individual Likert-type items (0.572–0.849). Criterion-related validity was established via moderate correlations with the EPDS and its anxiety subscale EPDS-3 A (r = 0.537 and r = 0.431, respectively). ROC analysis demonstrated good discriminatory power (Area Under the Curve = 0.75) with an optimal cut-off score of 17, yielding 78% sensitivity and 65% specificity for identifying potential depression cases.ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence of the overall reliability of the Turkish version of the ANRQ-R as a measure of psychosocial risk among Turkish-speaking women during pregnancy. Despite some limitations in item-level internal consistency indicators, integration of the ANRQ-R into routine antenatal care could enhance early identification and intervention strategies, potentially improving maternal health outcomes. Future research should aim to further validate the scale across diverse populations and settings, using a diagnostic tool as the reference standard.

‘Neyse Halim Çıksın Falim’: Turkish women’s intimate discourse in fortune-telling sessions through coffee cup readings

Turkish coffee is not only a popular beverage consumed daily in Türkiye, but also a medium that enhances social connections among women within the same communities of practice. In this study, we examine coffee cup fortune-telling as a discourse type and analyse the sociocultural and linguistic characteristics of this intimate and interactional data among 25 Turkish-speaking women who are close friends. The data consists of 22 informal, naturally-occurring and face-to-face coffee cup reading sessions which correspond to 2 hours 40 minutes of audio recordings. Our analyses reveal that Turkish women use culture-specific semiotic and linguistic resources as tools of reflection and persuasion in this jointly constructed discourse. We also argue that coffee cup readings provide opportunities for establishing solidarity through engaging the speakers in troubles talk.

P-467 Fertility preparedness and influencing factors in women undergoing fertility treatment: Turkish sample

Abstract Study question What is the level of fertility preparedness among women undergoing fertility treatment and what factors influence this preparedness? Summary answer The readiness of the participants to undergo fertility treatment was found to be high. Factors that increase and decrease women’s prepareadiness were also identified. What is known already It is a common problem in practice to stop and not continue infertility treatment, which has a long physical, emotional and financial burden. Although there are many reasons for this, it has been found that couples move from one treatment process to another without feeling ready. In addition to the stress of infertility and treatment, couples drop out of treatment due to low readiness. Therefore, measuring the readiness of couples prior to fertility treatment and determining the factors that influence readiness may be effective in the continuation and success of treatment. Study design, size, duration It was a descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted on 375 Turkish-speaking women in a virtual environment using the Google survey technique. Infertile women who received treatment in fertility clinics of any hospital or private IVF centers worldwide and spoke Turkish constituted the population of the research. The data were collected between February 2021 and January 2022. Participants/materials, setting, methods A total of 375 women with primary infertility who agreed to be part of the study were included. Data were collected by ‘Descriptive Information Form’, ‘Fertility History Form’ and ‘Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Support’ measurement tools. The cut-off value of the Fertility Preparedness Scale (FPS) is 56 points (min 23 - max 115) and a score of less than 56 points indicates that the participant was not sufficiently prepared for fertility treatment. Main results and the role of chance In the present study, the mean score was X¯ = 83.01 (min 39-max115). Most of the participants (94.67%) were above the cut-off value. This showed us that 94.67% of the women had a high level of prepareadiness. Factors such as advancing age, prolongation of infertility, increase in number of treatments, female factor of infertility were negative factors related to fertility preparedness. Besides increased education level, increased income, secondary infertility, feel less pressure from their families and being able to share with the social circle about the treatment were positive factors that increased the woman’s prepareadiness for treatment.According to the results fertility prepareadiness it has a very important place in starting and continuing fertility treatment. There are many factors that influence fertility prepareadiness. If a woman/couple starts well prepared in this expensive and stressful treatment process, financial loss can be prevented, treatment success can be improved and treatment discontinuation can be reduced. Limitations, reasons for caution The fact that the study was conducted online and the possibility of participation of people at different stages of treatment (beginning, while waiting for a pregnancy test, etc.) may have affected the fertility prepareadiness results. Wider implications of the findings There is a need for an experimental randomized controlled trial with objective assessment of fertility prepareadiness. It would also be useful for health professionals to measure the prepareadiness of women/couples through pre-treatment assessment in clinics. Assessment of prepareadiness and identification of influencing factors is important to provide appropriate support. Trial registration number non-clinical trials

Parrhesia as Journalism: Learning from the Truth- and Justice-seeking Women Journalists of twentieth Century Turkey

ABSTRACT Despite ongoing endeavours to decolonize and de-westernize journalism studies, the current literature offers very few clues about the history of women’s journalistic practices and struggles in Third World/Global South contexts. The objective of this article is to help to fill this gap by focusing on the lived experiences and struggles of key Turkish-speaking women journalists who worked in private and public sector media outlets in Turkey in the period 1920–1980. Drawing on these women’s self-narratives and biographical accounts, as well as arguments in debates on parrhesia and emancipatory journalism in dialogue with Third World/Global South feminist epistemologies, we explore the ways in which journalism has been a site of life-time resistance and struggle for women seeking justice and truth on behalf of the oppressed. Their conceptualization of journalistic identity as truth- and justice-seekers in an unfree media environment, and their determination to speak the truth to challenge intersecting forces of domination cannot be captured in the binary of “media freedom” and “media development” paradigms. Nonetheless, their struggle to dismantle oppressive reality by way of distinctive, courageous, justice-seeking and truthful communication can be educative at a time when the relationship between journalism and truth is increasingly being undermined.

Fantasy and Judgement: Brides’ Intimate Talk on Facebook

This article explores how women’s judgement towards each other draws fantasies for a happy marriage through the medium of a Facebook group’s wall. Gelin Evleri ve Çeyizleri (Brides’ Home and Trousseau) is a closed Facebook group where Turkish-speaking women exchange their ideas, feelings, and judgements about married life. Women, anonymous or with their real identities, use this technological medium to interact with each other, to share images of their domestic lives and to engage in intimate conversation. I followed the posts which appeared on the group’s wall from September to December 2018 and narrowed my focus to two categories of posts: first, posts about romantic fantasies and settings, and second, posts which seek advice about one-on-one relationships between couples. Fantasies that are embedded in the conversations on the group’s wall are catalysts for judgements. In other words, women come to terms with the norm of the family through fantasies, while also problematizing the level of men’s emotional investment in relationships.

Translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of Australian pelvic floor questionnaire in a Turkish population

ObjectivesThe aims of the study were the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of self-administered Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire (APFQ) in a Turkish population. Study designThe APFQ was translated into Turkish with forward and back translation by native speakers, and the Turkish version was tested on 15 volunteer patients. 53 patients who had at least one symptom related to pelvic floor dysfunction were included as the patient group, and 51 women who had no symptoms related to pelvic floor dysfunction were included as the control group. All of the women in the patient group were examined gynecologically in the lithotomy position, the cough stress test was performed. and prolapses was evaluated with the POP-Q (Pelvic organ Prolapse Quantification System). The Urinary Distress Inventory was answered by all symptomatic women. All women answered the questionnaire again after a three-week interval. The content/face validity, reliability, stability, and construct validity were studied. ResultsThe Cronbach's alpha results were above 0.7 for all subscales of the questionnaire (bladder:0.842, bowel:0.733, prolapse:0.858, sexual function:0.750) showing adequate internal consistency (reliability). The test/retest analysis (stability) showed high reproducibility with an intraclass coefficient above 0.85 in the patient group and above 0.75 in the control group. Except for the sexual function subscale, discriminant validity showed a significant difference between the patient and control groups. A significant correlation was found between the total bladder subscale score and the UDI-6 scores (rho:0.828, p:0.000,) and a significant correlation was found between the total prolapse score and the POP-Q scores (rho:0.574, p:0.000). ConclusionThe Turkish version of the self-administered APFQ is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating symptom severity and impact of pelvic floor disorders on the quality of life of Turkish-speaking women.

Reliability and validity of the Incontinence Quiz-Turkish version.

The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Incontinence Quiz, which was developed by Branch et al. (1994), to assess women's knowledge of and attitudes toward urinary incontinence. Comprehensibility of the Turkish version of the 14-item Incontinence Quiz, which was prepared following translation-back translation procedures, was tested on a pilot group of eight women, and its internal reliability, test-retest reliability and construct validity were assessed in 150 women who attended the gynecology clinics of three hospitals in İçel, Turkey. Physical and sociodemographic characteristics and presence of incontinence complaints were also recorded. Data were analyzed at the 0.05 alpha level, using SPSS version 22. The scale had good reliability and validity. The internal reliability coefficient (Cronbach α) was 0.80, test-retest correlation coefficients were 0.83-0.94; and with regard to construct validity, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient was 0.76 and Barlett sphericity test was 562.777 (P = 0.000). Turkish version of the Incontinence Quiz had a four-factor structure, with Eigenvalues ranging from 1.17 to 4.08. The Incontinence Quiz-Turkish version is a highly comprehensible, reliable and valid scale, which may be used to assess Turkish-speaking women's knowledge of and attitudes toward urinary incontinence.

Adaptation and validation of the Michigan Incontinence Severity Index in a Turkish population.

ObjectiveTo translate and validate the Michigan Incontinence Severity Index (M-ISI) for its use in Turkish-speaking women with urinary incontinence.MethodsThe translation and cross-cultural adaptation were based on international guidelines. Content validity by content validity ratio/content validity index, internal consistency by Cronbach’s alpha, test–retest reliability by Pearson’s correlation, and construct validity by using Spearman rank correlations to show the relationship between individual items and the relevant domains and subdomains were analyzed in 100 female participants with a chief complaint of urinary incontinence. Correlations between the relevant scores of M-ISI and The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form scores were analyzed to indicate convergent validity. The Varimax rotation method was used to conduct exploratory factor analysis in order to investigate the factor structures/distribution of M-ISI items.ResultsContent validity index and content validity ratio values increased to 0.97 and 1.00, respectively, showing sufficient content validity of the Turkish version of the M-ISI. The analysis formed three factors which was slightly different from original developers. In our proposed three-factor construct, all of the ten items demonstrated high correlations with their subdomains and lower correlations with the other domains, indicating good construct validity. Correlations between stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence (UUI) scores and The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form scores were found high, which indicated convergent validity (r: 0.953, P<0.001). Good internal consistency of the scores for each subdomain was observed (stress urinary incontinence, 0.787; UUI, 0.862; pad usage and bother, 0.832). Test–retest reliability was shown for each subdomain (stress urinary incontinence, 0.973; UUI, 0.973; pad usage and bother, 0.979).ConclusionThe translated and cross-culturally adapted M-ISI showed good validity, reproducibility, and reliability that allow its use in Turkish-speaking populations with urinary incontinence. Its comprehensive structure means that it has become a practical instrument that is available for utilization in the primary health care setting, clinical research, and epidemiological trials in Turkey.

Reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the Global Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire.

The aim of this study was to translate the Global Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire (GPFBQ) into Turkish and to assess its validity and reliability. The Turkish adaptation of the GPFBQ was created by following the stages of the intercultural adaptation process. A test-retest interval of 1week was used to assess the reliability, which was examined by the intraclass correlation coefficient. The validity of the GPFBQ was assessed and compared with the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7) using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. For construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis was performed. A total of 131 women, whose mean age was 46.83years, were included in the study. The test-retest reliability of the GPFBQ was excellent (0.998, p < 0.0001). The GPFBQ correlated significantly with the PFDI-20 (r = 0.860, p = 0.00) and PFIQ-7 (r = 0.802, p = 0.00). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine construct validity, and it was found that it had four dimensions. The Turkish version of the GPFBQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the symptoms of bother and severity in Turkish-speaking women with pelvic floor dysfunction.

Validation of the Turkish Version of the Sexual Health Outcomes in Women Questionnaire (SHOW-Q) in Turkish-Speaking Women.

IntroductionThe Sexual Health Outcomes in Women Questionnaire (SHOW-Q) is designed to evaluate the sexual life of women for satisfaction, orgasm, desire, and pelvic problem interference. The SHOW-Q is important for evaluating worsening of sexual life for patients with pelvic problems and the management of these women to improve their sexual life.AimsTo validate the Turkish versions of the SHOW-Q for Turkish-speaking women.MethodsThe Turkish version of the SHOW-Q was generated by two independent professional English-to-Turkish translators. The translated version of the SHOW-Q was reverse translated by two bilingual translators whose native language was English. Women with at least one symptom related to pelvic problems (n = 71) and those with no symptoms (n = 38) were included in the present study.Main Outcome MeasuresTest-retest reliability analysis, content-face validity, internal consistency reliability, item-total correlations, convergent validity, construct validity, and factorial validity were performed to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish versions of the SHOW-Q.ResultsTest-retest reliability demonstrated good correlation for all subscales. Cronbach α values ranged from 0.735 to 0.892 and indicated high internal consistency. There was a strong correlation for the corresponding subscales between the SHOW-Q and the Female Sexual Function Index. The mean score of each SHOW-Q subscale showed significant differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.ConclusionThe Turkish version of the SHOW-Q is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to evaluate the sexual life of Turkish-speaking women with different pelvic problems.

A comparative study of Turkish-speaking migrants and natives living in Vienna/Austria concerning their life satisfaction – with a particular focus on satisfaction regarding their health

Purpose– The migration background can influence the life satisfaction of migrants. The purpose of this paper is to examine the life satisfaction of migrants and particularly the satisfaction regarding their health in comparison to natives.Design/methodology/approach– The life satisfaction of 50 Turkish-speaking migrants living in Vienna was compared with the life satisfaction of 50 native Austrians by the questionnaire of life satisfaction by Fahrenberget al.(2000).Findings– Turkish-speaking migrants had lower values than natives in all scales of the questionnaire concerning life satisfaction. Turkish-speaking women reported the lowest satisfaction regarding their health state. In the migrant group the satisfaction regarding health decreased with increasing age.Research limitations/implications– The Turkish version of the questionnaire was translated into Turkish by authors but not formally validated. Furthermore acculturation strategies as well as the mental and physical health state of the participant, which can crucially influence the life satisfaction of migrants, were not surveyed.Practical implications– Migrants have lower life satisfaction possibly because of their physical and mental health problems. Therefore in countries with a high proportion of migrants the health-care system should be adapted for the needs of migrants, especially for the needs of women and older migrants in order to increase the utilization of the health-care services, primarily the use of the preventive health-care services.Social implications– The results of the present study can be helpful to develop strategies for improving the life satisfaction of migrants, especially the satisfaction regarding their health.Originality/value– To the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first research project in Vienna conducted to estimate the impact of migration background on life satisfaction.

Translation and validation of the Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-5) in patients with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis

ObjectivesTo validate the Turkish-translated versions of the Endometriosis Health Profile 5 (EHP-5) for use in patients with laparoscopically proven endometriosis. Study designThis case control study was conducted in a tertiary referral teaching institution between April and June 2014. Fifty-eight patients with surgically proven endometriosis were enrolled. The EHP-5 questionnaire was evaluated for patients with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis. Test–retest reliability, descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (internal consistency and item-total correlation), data completeness, and known-group comparison were all assessed in the validation of the EHP-5 form as translated into the Turkish language. ResultsTwo weeks test–retest reliability showed statistically significant correlation; Spearman's rho was 0.885 (p<0.001) for the EHP-5 core questionnaire and 0.896 (p<0.001) for the EHP-5 modular questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha values for the translated form of the EHP-5 core and modular questionnaires were 0.829 and 0.804, respectively, with a high level of internal consistency. In known group comparison, there were statistically significant differences in all subgroups except in the infertility group on the core questionnaire. Pain scales on the core questionnaire and infertility scales on the modular questionnaire showed the highest mean scores (1.14±1.16 and 1.78±1.77). ConclusionLike the original English questionnaire, the Turkish-translated version of the EHP-5 is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing symptom severity and the impact of endometriosis on health-related quality of life in Turkish-speaking women.

Psychometric evaluation of the COPD assessment test: Data from the BREATHE study in the Middle East and North Africa region

The objective of this study was to assess the validity and performance of the Arabic and Turkish versions of the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) for evaluating the severity and impact of COPD symptoms. The data were obtained from the BREATHE study in the Middle East and North Africa region, a large general population survey of COPD conducted in ten countries of the region (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates), using a standardised methodology. A total of 62,086 subjects were screened, of whom a random sample of 5,681 subjects were administered the CAT by telephone. 5,639 evaluable questionnaires were recovered, representing a completion rate of 99%. In addition, the CAT was administered to an additional 833 subjects fulfilling the epidemiological diagnostic criteria for COPD. Mean scores in the general population were 6.99 ± 6.91 for the Arabic version and 9.88 ± 9.04 for the Turkish version. In patients with COPD, mean scores were 16.2 ± 9.1 and 20.9 ± 10.2 respectively. Scores were consistently higher in smokers than in non-smokers. In the general population, the proportion of respondents fulfilling criteria for COPD rose with higher CAT scores, and particularly above the 80th percentile, where 63% of COPD cases were to be found. This suggests that the CAT may be useful as a case-finding tool in the general population. In the COPD population, healthcare resource consumption rose linearly with CAT score above a threshold score of twenty, arguing in favour of the good criterion validity of the CAT. The internal consistency of the CAT was high (Cronbach's α 0.85 for the Arabic and 0.86 for the Turkish versions) and the factorial structure was unidimensional. In conclusion, this study performed in Arabic and Turkish speaking populations confirms the utility and validity of the CAT as a simple tool to collect data on the severity and impact of COPD symptoms, and suggests that it may potentially be useful as a case-finding tool to identify people at risk for COPD in the general population.

Translation and validation of the Breast-feeding Self-efficacy Scale into Turkish

Background recent research indicates that most mothers give up breast feeding their infants early in the postpartum period due to difficulties with breast feeding and the belief that they are inefficient at breast feeding. Using self-efficacy theory as a conceptual framework to measure breast-feeding confidence, a Turkish version of the Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES) was developed and psychometrically tested among Turkish mothers. Objective to translate the BSES into Turkish and assess its psychometric properties among breast-feeding mothers. Design a methodological study to assess the reliability, validity and predictive value of the BSES. Setting women were recruited from two mother and child health-care units in the Altındağ district in Izmir, Turkey between 2006 and 2007, and followed up two months post partum. Participants 165 Turkish-speaking women. Methods following back-translation, questionnaires were completed in hospital and at home by postnatal women. The BSES was administrated at one, four and eight weeks post partum to determine the method of infant feeding. The interviews and home visits were conducted in mothers’ own homes at a mutually convenient time. Findings the psychometric assessment method used to validate the original BSES (English version) was replicated with the translated Turkish version. The well-concordance coefficient of Kendall’s W scale was 0.227, p<0.01 and the test–retest reliability coefficient was 0.45. The consistency of the scale in terms of temporal process was efficient ( p=0.00). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.91 and 0.92 at one and four weeks post partum, respectively, and the reliability of the scale was found to be high (0.80≤ α<1.00). Key conclusions and implications for practice the Turkish version of the BSES can be used to determine which mothers are at risk of giving up breast feeding early in the postpartum period, and the subjects they need to learn about breast feeding.

Self-Employed Turkish-Speaking Women in London

Women from minorities are self-employed in many countries. Yet policies as well as research on ethnic businesses have paid little attention to them. This article discusses self-employment among Turkish-speaking women in London and evaluates the significance of their contribution within and beyond the ethnic economy. It argues that there is a need to reflect upon the construct of the ethnic economy in order to integrate women's entrepreneurial activities. Three business types categorize women's business activities, differentiated by the customers the women intend to serve. Finally, this paper questions whether self-employment always increases women's bargaining position. The empirical basis is an ongoing ethnographic study of self-employment in the Turkish-speaking communities in London, including 11 case studies of self-employed women.

What do Turkish-speaking women want to know about sexual health? A study to inform the production of Turkish language information leaflets

What do Turkish-speaking women want to know about sexual health? A study to inform the production of Turkish language information leaflets