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Adaptation of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale for Adolescents: Structural Validity and Reliability

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Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment

Published online on

Abstract

The Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE), originally developed for assessing preschoolers, was adapted for the adolescents. The instrument taps social competence, externalizing and internalizing problems. In the adolescent SCBE, more than 65% of the items (54 items) remained practically the same as in the preschool version, 24 items were modified slightly, and two items were rewritten completely. The instrument was tested on 342 adolescents (M = 14.4 years, SD = .6). The summary scales showed high reliability. Using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), acceptable support for the three-factor model based on 16-item clusters was found, indicating that minimal adjustments to the items of the preschool version allows for the assessment of the same constructs in adolescence. The adolescent version of the SCBE can be valid and reliable instrument for describing social adjustment in adolescents making the SCBE interesting from an international perspective.