Turkish Validity and Reliability of the Self-Applied Acute Stress Scale (EASE) for Healthcare Providers.

Background: Acute stress induced by a sudden burden of emergency conditions and traumatic events, such as wars, earthquakes, situations requiring isolation, pandemics, and disasters, can have pathological consequences on healthcare providers (HCPs) if not diagnosed early. Therefore, the objective of this investigation is to culturally validate the self-administered Acute Stress Scale (EASE) in the Turkish context.

Method: The study consisted of 127 HCPs working with COVID-19 patients in services and clinics during the pandemic. The individual information form and EASE were used for data collection. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the factor structure of the EASE.

Results: All the statistical procedures showed that the Turkish version of the EASE scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool for the Turkish culture. The content validity index (CVI = 0.84), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.912), and model fit indices (χ ²/df = 1.826, RMSEA = 0.083, CFI = 0.947, NFI = 0.893, GFI = 0.905) explained two-factor structure.

Conclusion: Institutional approaches are necessary to support the psychological needs of HCPs. The Turkish version of the EASE scale demonstrated adequate reliability and validity properties. The scale could provide appropriate support during the early stages of acute stress among HCPs related to needs during isolation conditions or unexpected emergencies such as recent pandemics and epidemics in the future.