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JOURNAL OF RATIONAL-EMOTIVE AND COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOR THERAPY, vol.43, no.4, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
Rational and irrational beliefs, central to rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), have been effectively used to understand the mental health of various populations (e.g., adults, adolescents, athletes, fans). This study aims to adapt the Parent Rational and Irrational Beliefs Scale (P-RIBS) into Turkish to measure parents' rational and irrational beliefs. The P-RIBS comprises 20 items and three factors (irrational belief, rational belief, global evaluation). A total of 278 parents (168 mothers, 110 fathers) aged between 25 and 59 (Mage= 38.41 +/- 6.89), participated in the study. The construct validity of P-RIBS was evaluated using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Criterion-related validity was assessed by examining the relationships between P-RIBS and psychological distress, well-being, and life satisfaction. Three-factor ESEM results showed that the scale's original factor structure was not achieved due to the low factor loadings and high cross-loadings of the global evaluation factor. Instead, an alternative 2-factor ESEM model based on REBT theory, addressing rational and irrational beliefs, was tested. In the 2-factor ESEM model, nine items with low factor loadings were removed, resulting in the 11-item, two-factor PRIBS Turkish form. Criterion validity results showed that psychological distress was negatively predicted by rational beliefs and positively predicted by irrational beliefs. Furthermore, rational and irrational beliefs indirectly predicted life satisfaction and well-being through psychological distress. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the irrational and rational belief subscales were 0.74 and 0.66, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of REBT theory, future research, and cultural context.