Validation and psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the brief sense of community scale

This study aims to adapt the Brief Sense of Community Scale into Turkish and to evaluate its psychometric properties among an adult cohort. This study involved 313 volunteers aged 18 years or older. The scale’s linguistic and cultural adaptation was performed through forward and backward translation, an expert panel review, and a pilot test. Construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis; internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, item-total correlations, and the changes in reliability coefficients after item removal. For criterion and convergent validity, correlations were calculated with the psychological well-being, perceived social support, and quality-of-life scales. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the Turkish version of the Brief Sense of Community Scale was 0.882, and the McDonald’s omega coefficient was 0.885. Item-total correlations ranged from 0.461 to 0.786, and removing any item did not significantly improve internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the four-dimensional structure of the scale (Needs Fulfillment, Group Membership, Influence, and Emotional Connection) fit the data well (CFI = 0.985; TLI = 0.970; RMSEA = 0.069; SRMR = 0.026). Additionally, the Composite Reliability (CR) was 0.936, and the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) was 0.648. The total BSCS score showed moderate positive correlations with psychological well-being (r = 0.420; p < 0.001) and quality of life (r = 0.419; p < 0.001), and a weaker positive correlation with perceived social support (r = 0.238; p < 0.001). In a further comparison by recruitment source, the BSCS total and sub-dimension scores did not differ significantly between participants from psychiatry outpatient clinics and family medicine clinics. These findings demonstrate that the Brief Sense of Community Scale is a valid and reliable measure of sense of community among Turkish adults. The scale’s concise, practical structure supports its use in community-based research and in mental health practices.