Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the Turkish validity and reliability of the Shame Frequency Questionnaire in Medical Students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors conducted this methodological and cross-sectional study in February 2025 with 1,333 medical students from all six academic years at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine to evaluate the Turkish adaptation of the Shame Frequency Questionnaire and examine its psychometric properties. RESULTS: The Turkish Version of the Shame Frequency Questionnaire in Medical Students demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.906), with corrected item-total correlations ranging from 0.532 to 0.781. Exploratory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure, with all 12 items loading onto a single factor (loadings: 0.370–0.691) and explaining 49.75% of the total variance (KMO = 0.911; Bartlett’s p < 0.001). Item discrimination analysis showed significantly higher scores in the upper 27% group compared to the lower 27% group (Mann–Whitney U = 16.537; p < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis conducted on a separate subsample obtained by randomly splitting the original dataset revealed that the model fit indices did not meet conventional thresholds (e.g., Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.19, Comparative Fit Index = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: The Turkish version of the Shame Frequency Questionnaire in Medical Students is a valid psychometric instrument that assesses medicine-specific shame experiences and supports research on the emotional dimensions of medical education. Furthermore, it holds potential for research evaluating shame among other medical schools. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-08421-y.