This study presents the adaptation and validation of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ) for the Romanian population. Conducted by researchers from the Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the study evaluates the reliability and factor structure of the instrument, confirming its suitability for assessing the strength of religious faith in Romanian-speaking samples.
Authors:
Romulus-Dan Nicoară – Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (RO)
Ana-Maria Nicoară – Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (RO)
Raluca Trifu – Department of Medical Psychology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (RO)
Florin Vasile Mihăileanu – Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (RO)
Horia-George Coman – Department of Medical Psychology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (RO)
Introduction
Religious faith represents an essential psychological and cultural dimension of human life, influencing well-being, coping mechanisms, and social behavior. To evaluate this construct, The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ) is widely used internationally due to its brevity, clarity, and psychometric robustness.
The current research aimed to adapt and validate the SCSRFQ for Romanian participants, ensuring cultural and linguistic equivalence and testing its internal consistency and factorial validity.
Methodology
A total of 201 participants, aged between 18 and 77 years, completed a socio-demographic data sheet and the SCSRFQ. Both the 10-item version and the short 5-item version (SCSRFQ-SF) were analyzed.
Psychometric evaluation included:
- Internal consistency analysis (Cronbach’s alpha)
- Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)
- Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)
Results
The Romanian version of the SCSRFQ demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.95, indicating high reliability.
Both EFA and CFA supported a unidimensional factor structure, consistent with the original theoretical model of the scale. These findings confirm that all items contribute meaningfully to measuring the same underlying construct: the strength of religious faith.
Discussion
The psychometric results confirm that the Romanian version of the SCSRFQ maintains the conceptual integrity and structural coherence of the original instrument. The strong reliability and factorial validity suggest that this adaptation can be effectively used in clinical, psychological, and sociological research to explore the role of faith and spirituality in mental health, resilience, and moral development.
Conclusion
The study concludes that the Romanian adaptation of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the intensity of religious faith. Its brevity and strong psychometric properties make it particularly suitable for both research and applied psychological settings.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/14.2/442.
