Adaptation of the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates to the Turkish Language: Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

Objective: There are many biopsychosocial determinants among factors that trigger criminal behavior. Social variables such as the number of friends involved in criminal activity and the amount of time spent with them, as well as psychological processes such as sentiments of entitlement, antisocial attitudes of the individual can influence the possibility of getting involved in acts of crime. The purpose of this study was to adapt the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) to Turkish language and to test its reliability and validity of the Measurement of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA), adapted to the Turkish language (MCAA-TR). Method: The Turkish version of the scale was tested on 202 adult convicts and 208 undergraduate university students. In order to assess the concurrent validity of the MCAA-TR, the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale and Criminal Thinking Scale (MCAA) were given to participants. Results: Principal component analysis showed that the factor structure of the MCAA-TR was highly consistent with the original version of the scale. The Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency was 0.86 for the total scale and ranged from 0.68 to 0.82 for subscales. Results of discriminant function analysis showed a classification efficiency of 77.6%. Also, the total sub-dimension scores of the MCAA-TR showed significant correlation with the scores on the relevant sub-dimensions of the scales used to evaluate concurrent validity. Conclusion: The MCAA-TR was found to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing crime related cognitions and attitudes