Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Life Skills Scale for Young Adults and Adults (LSSAA): A Validity and Reliability Study

The aim of the present study was to adapt the Life Skills Assessment Scale for Adults (LSSAA) into Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties through a parsimonious, 21-item abbreviated form. Utilizing a cross-cultural adaptation design, data were collected from two independent samples of university students (N₁ = 307; N₂ = 335). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) provided robust evidence for a four-factor structure—Resilience, Interpersonal Communication, Empathy, and Decision Making—which differs slightly from the original Japanese version in factor distribution but demonstrates higher structural stability in the Turkish context χ2/df = 2.16, CFI = .91, TLI = .89, GFI = .88, SRMR = .04 and RMSEA = .06. Concurrent validity was supported by a strong correlation (r = .75) with the original 30-item scale and significant relationships with existing life skills measures. Reliability was evaluated using both Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients, yielding excellent internal consistency for the total scale across both samples (ω range: .90 – .93). The successful adaptation is further discussed through the lens of linguistic and typological similarities between Turkish and Japanese as agglutinative languages. These findings suggest that the LSSAA is a culturally sensitive, time-efficient, and psychometrically sound instrument for assessing the psychosocial competencies of young adults in Türkiye.