Abstract
BACKGROUND: The current literature lacks measurement tools that cover all subtypes of specific phobias. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to adapt the Phobic Stimuli Response Scales (PSRS) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: 399 university students (308 females, 77.2%; 91 males, 22.8%) aged between 18 and 53 years (M = 21.80, SD = 3.93) filled out the PSRS, Fear Survey Schedule-II, and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21) online. 108 participants took part in the test-retest study 15 days after the first application. RESULTS: According to confirmatory factor analysis, model fit indices (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.07, and SRMR = 0.07) showed that the Turkish form of the scale consisted of 46 items and five factors (Blood-Injection, Bodily Harm, Social, Animal, and Physical Confinement) as in the original. Its correlations with other scales showed its convergent and discriminant validity. The reliability analyses indicate that the scale demonstrates internal consistency (α = 0.78 for Bodily Harm, 0.85 for Physical Confinement, 0.88 for Social, 0.86 for Animal, 0.90 for Blood-Injection, and 0.94 for the total score) and test-retest reliability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the Turkish PSRS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing responses to various fears in research and practical applications. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41155-026-00380-7.