PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE PROBLEM-SOLVING INVENTORY IN A GROUP OF TURKISH UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS

The Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner & Petersen, 1982) is a wid ely used self-report measure of applied problem solving in the United States. This study examined the psychometric properties of the PSI in a Turkish cultural context, specifically with regard to normative, rel iability, and validity information. Subjects were 244 Turkish universi ty students (153 women, 71 men) who completed the Turkish version of t he PSI, Beck Depression Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Invento ry. The Turkish data provide additional psychometric support for the P SI and enhance the generalizability of some of the previous findings b ased on U. S. samples. Moreover, the Turkish data also suggest that th e psychological construct of problem-solving appraisal may have some u tility in understanding applied problem solving in the Turkish culture . Finally, the study provides cross-cultural information that increase s our knowledge about the utility of problem-solving constructs across diverse environments, particularly with regard to an approach/avoidan ce dimension across problem-solving strategies.