Psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of a breastfeeding support self-efficacy scale for midwifery students

Abstract

Background: To ensure the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding, health systems need qualified professionals who can advise and support women. There was previously no validated tool to assess midwifery students' confidence in providing breastfeeding support in T & uuml;rkiye.Aim: To adapt the Australian self-efficacy scale for breastfeeding support for midwifery students into Turkish and to psychometrically test its validity among Turkish midwifery students.Methods: A scale adaptation approach was used to translate and validate the 34-item scale. The tool was then sent to third- and fourth-year Turkish midwifery students. Psychometric properties were examined using both classical test theory and the Rasch measurement analysis.Results: A total of 382 participants completed the survey. The Turkish version demonstrated excellent internal consistency, strong item functioning, and a largely unidimensional structure, confirming its robustness in the Turkish educational context. The findings indicate that Turkish midwifery students generally reported high self-efficacy for foundational breastfeeding support tasks, while more complex, practice-based skills, such as managing infant behavior during breastfeeding, required higher levels of confidence.Conclusion: This study provides strong evidence for the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Self-Efficacy Scale for Breastfeeding Support. Consistent with prior development and validation works, the scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties. These findings extend the scale's applicability to a new cultural and educational context. Overall, this Turkish version is a psychometrically sound tool for self-assessing breastfeeding self-efficacy and may be used to inform curriculum evaluation, guide targeted educational interventions and enable cross-cultural comparison.