Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Exclusive Breastfeeding Social Support Scale

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Exclusive Breastfeeding Social Support Scale, which was designed to determine the social support perceived by mothers of infants aged 0-6 months who use any method of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: This methodological research involved 290 mothers and their infants aged 0-6 months. Data were collected using a sociodemographic and breastfeeding-related information form and the Exclusive Breastfeeding Social Support Scale. Thereafter, content and construct validities were assessed; item and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted; and internal consistency was evaluated. The study adhered to the Guidelines for Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies. Results: The Turkish version of the Exclusive Breastfeeding Social Support Scale achieved a content validity index of 0.94. The correlations between the item scores and total scale scores ranged from 0.56 to 0.87. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the scale's 16-item, three-factor structure, with factor loadings exceeding 0.30 and fit indices above 0.80. The scale demonstrated a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.95. Conclusions: The Turkish version of the Exclusive Breastfeeding Social Support Scale is proven to be a valid and reliable measurement tool. This scale facilitates the assessment of perceived social support levels among mothers who exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first 6 months after birth.