Marriage Myths Scale: Development and Validation in a Turkish Cultural Context

This study developed and validated the Marriage Myths Scale (MMS) for Turkish adults through sequential mixed-methods design. Qualitative interviews (n = 24) informed item generation, followed by psychometric validation (n = 680) and cross-validation (n = 340). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a six-factor structure (24 items) explaining 61.8% of variance. The MMS demonstrated excellent reliability (α =.88, ICC = .86) and strong construct validity with dysfunctional relationship beliefs (r = .73) and relationship satisfaction (r = −0.47). Measurement invariance across demographic groups was confirmed. The MMS provides a culturally appropriate, psychometrically sound instrument for assessing marriage-related irrational beliefs in Turkish contexts, offering significant clinical and research utility.