Multidimensional Emotional Disorder Inventory: Reliability and Validity in a Turkish Community Sample

Categorical diagnoses often fail to capture the comorbidity and heterogeneity of emotional disorders, and the Multidimensional Emotional Disorder Inventory (MEDI) offers a transdiagnostic, dimensional alternative. This study examined the psychometric properties of a Turkish version of the MEDI. The instrument was adapted following standardized cross-cultural procedures, including forward–backward translation, quantitative expert review of content validity, and a bilingual pilot study of linguistic equivalence. A community sample (N = 1011) completed the Turkish MEDI together with convergent validity measures. The factor structure was examined in two random half-samples using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM, n = 505) and ESEM and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 506), and ESEM-based measurement invariance was tested across administration mode (online vs. paper-and-pencil) and gender. ESEM supported the original nine-factor structure in both half-samples. All nine subscales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω = 0.80 to 0.88), and ESEM-based invariance tests supported scalar invariance across gender and administration mode, with weaker support for administration mode. Each MEDI dimension correlated strongly with its target criterion, supporting convergent validity, and gender-stratified community reference data were established. The findings support the reliability and validity of the Turkish MEDI for assessing transdiagnostic dimensions in community samples. Its utility for clinical decision-making requires further validation in clinical samples.