Preliminary Validation of the Subjective Academic Problems Scale: A New Tool to Aid in Triaging School Mental Health Screening Results

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the preliminary structural, convergent, and incremental classification validity of responses to the Subjective Academic Problems Scale (SAPS), which is a seven-item self-report behavior rating scale intended for use as a triaging tool within secondary-level school mental health screening contexts. Findings from psychometric analyses carried out with Sample 1 (N = 177) indicated that responses to the SAPS were characterized by a unidimensional measurement model and that scores derived from the scale had convergent validity with scores from several other self-reported measures of student wellbeing and mental health problems. Results from analyses conducted with Sample 2 (N = 219) confirmed the unidimensionality of responses to the SAPS measurement model and demonstrated that SAPS scores had incremental validity, when used in conjunction with scores from a self-report internalizing problems screener, for identifying students with greater levels of mental health risk. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.