This study examines the psychometric properties of the revised Perceived Social Competence Scale (PSCS), a brief, user-friendly tool used to assess social competence among youth.
Method:
Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) examined the factor structure and invariance of an enhanced scale (PSCS-II), among a sample of 420 youth. Correlations between PSCS-II and self-reported social skill scores were examined. A longitudinal CFA tested the invariance of the factor structure over time with a different sample of 451 youth.
Results:
The revised 5-item PSCS-II demonstrated acceptable factorial validity, factorial invariance across time and gender as well as strong predictive validity.
Conclusion:
The PSCS-II was supported as a strengthened version of the PSCS to measure social competence in social work research and practice.
AchenbachT. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-18, YSR, and TRF profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
2.
AchenbachT. M.EdelbrockC. (1983). Manual for the child behavior checklist and revised child behavior profile. Burlington: University of Vermont.
3.
Anderson-ButcherD.AmoroseA. J.IachiniA.BallA. (2013). Community and youth collaborative initiative school experience surveys: Social skills scale in elementary schools. Columbus, OH: College of Social Work, The Ohio State University.
4.
Anderson-ButcherD.IachiniA.AmoroseA. (2008). Initial reliability and validity of the perceived social competence scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 47–54.
5.
Anderson-ButcherD.RileyA.IachiniA.Wade-MdivanianR.DavisJ.AmoroseA. (2013). Exploring the impact of a summer sport-based youth development program. Evaluation and Program Planning, 37, 64–69.
6.
Anderson-ButcherD.Wade-MdivanianR.DavisJ.RuchD.RileyA. (2013). OSU LiFE Sports 2012 annual report. Columbus, OH: College of Social Work. The Ohio State University.
7.
Anderson-ButcherD.Wade-MdivanianR.PalutaL.LowerL.AmoroseA.DavisJ. (2014). OSU LiFE Sports 2013 annual report. Columbus, OH: College of Social Work. The Ohio State University.
8.
BascaB. (2002). Literature review of youth development/asset tools. Burbank, CA: EMT Group.
9.
BlumbergS. J.CarleA. C.O’ConnorK. S.MooreK.LippmanL. H. (2008). Social competence: Development of an indicator for children and adolescents. Child Indicators Research, 1, 17–50.
10.
BornsteinM. H.HahnH.HaynesM. O. (2010). Social competence, externalizing, and internalizing behavioral adjustment from early childhood through early adolescence: Developmental cascades. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 717–735.
11.
BrownT. A. (2006). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. New York, NY: Guildford Press.
12.
CavellT. A. (1990). Social adjustment, social performance, and social skills: A tri-component model of social competence. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 19, 111–122.
13.
ChenX.HuangX.ChangL.WangL.LiD. (2010). Aggression, social competence, and academic achievement in Chinese children: A 5-year longitudinal study. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 583–592.
14.
CheungG. W.RensvoldR. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 233–255.
15.
ChouC.BentlerP. M. (1995). Estimates and tests in structural equation modeling. In HolyeR. H. (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 37–55). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
16.
ColemanW. L. (2008). Social competence and friendship formation in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Adolescent Medicine: State of Art Review, 19, 278–299.
17.
CorcoranK.FischerJ. (2013). Measures for clinical practice and research: Couples, families and children (5th ed., Vol. 1). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
18.
CroweL. M.BeauchampM. H.CatroppaC.AndersonV. (2011). Social function assessment tools for children and adolescents: A systematic review 1989-2011. Journal of Neurotrauma, 29, 1277–1291.
19.
DanielsonC. K.PhelpsC. R. (2003). The assessment of children’s social skills through self report: A potential screening instrument for classroom use. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling Development, 35, 218–229.
20.
DirksM. A.TreatT. A.WeersingV. R. (2007). Integrating theoretical, measurement, and intervention models of youth social competence. Clinical Psychology Review, 27, 327–347.
21.
DodgeK. A.PettitG. S.McClaskeyC. L.BrownM. M. (1986). Social competence in children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 51, 2.
22.
FetroJ. V.RhodesD. L.HeyD. W. (2012). Perceived personal and social competence: Development of valid and reliable measures. The Health Educator, 42, 19–26.
23.
FraserM. W.GalinskyM. J.SmokowskiP. R.DayS. T.TerzianM. A.RoseR. A.GuoS. (2005). Social information-processing skills training to promote social competence and prevent aggressive behavior in the third grades. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 1045–1055.
24.
FreyJ. R.ElliottS. N.GreshamF. M. (2011). Preschoolers’ social skills: Advances in assessment for intervention using social behavior ratings. School Mental Health, 3, 179–190.
25.
FreyK. S.HirschsteinM. K.GuzzoB. A. (2000). Second step: Preventing aggression by promoting social competence. Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, 8, 102–112.
26.
GableS. L.SheanG. D. (2000). Perceived social competence and depression. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 17, 139–150.
27.
GouldE.DixonD. R.NajdowskiA. C.SmithM. N.TarboxJ. (2011). A review of assessments for determining the content of early intensive behavioral intervention programs for autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 990–1002.
28.
GreshamF. M. (2002). Best practices in social skills training. In ThomasA.GrimesJ. (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology (4th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1029–1040). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
29.
GreshamF. M.ElliottS. N. (1990). Social skills rating system. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
30.
GreshamF.M.ElliottS.N. (2008). Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson.
31.
GriffinK. W.EpsteinJ. A.BotvinG. J.SpothR. L. (2001). Social competence and substance use among rural youth: Mediating role of social benefit expectancies of use. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30, 485–498.
32.
HarterS. (1985). Manual for the self-perception profile for children. Denver, CO: University of Denver.
33.
HuL.BentlerK. A. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indices in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.
34.
KatzL. G.McClellanD. E.FullerJ. O.WalzG. R. (1995). Building social competence in children: A practical handbook for counselors, psychologist, and teachers. ERIC Elementary and Early Childhood Education Clearinghouse. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
35.
KlebanoffR.MuramatsuN. (2002). A community-based physical education and activity intervention for African American preadolescent girls: A strategy to reduce racial disparities in health. Health Promotion Practice, 3, 276–285.
36.
KohnM.RosmanB. L. A. (1974). Social competence scale and symptom checklist: For the preschool child: Factor dimensions, their cross-instrument generality, and longitudinal persistence. Developmental Psychology, 6, 430–444.
37.
KostelnikM. J.GregoryK. M.SodermanA. K.WhirenA. P. (2012). Guiding children’s social development and learning (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
38.
LeeV.SmithJ. (1999). Social support and achievement for young adolescents in Chicago: The role of school academic press. American Educational Research Journal, 36, 907–945.
39.
LittleT. D. (2013). Longitudinal structural equation modeling. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
40.
MastenA. S.CoatsworthJ. D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from successful children. American Psychologist, 53, 205–220.
41.
McArdleJ. J.NesselroadeJ. R. (1994). Using multivariate data to structure developmental change. In CohenS.ReeseH. (Eds.), Life-span developmental psychology (pp. 223–267). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
42.
McIntoshK.MacKayL. D. (2008). Enhancing generalization of social skills: Making social skills curricula effective after the lesson. Beyond Behavior, 18, 17–24.
43.
MertensD. A.WilsonA. T. (2012). Program evaluation and practice: A comprehensive guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
44.
NangleD. W.GroverR. L.HollebL. J.CassanoM.FalesJ. (2010). Defining competence and identifying target skills. In NangleD. W.HansenD. J.ErdleyC. A.NortonP. J. (Eds.), Practitioner’s guide to empirically based measures of social skills (pp. 3–20). New York, NY: Springer.
45.
NixonE. (2001). The social competence of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A review of the literature. Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 6, 172–180.
46.
NowickiE. A. (2003). A meta-analysis of the social competence of children with learning disabilities compared to classmates of low and average to high achievement. Learning Disability Quarterly, 26, 171–188.
47.
ObradovicJ.HipwellA. (2010). Psychopathology and social competence during the transition to adolescence: The role of family adversity and pubertal development. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 623–636.
48.
RileyA.Anderson-ButcherD. (2012). Participation in a summer sport-based youth development program for disadvantaged youth: Getting the parent perspective. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 1367–1377.
49.
SaticiS. A.UysalR.SaticiB. (2013). An investigation of the relationship between deontic justice and perceived social competence. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 140, 3–8.
50.
ShouseR. (1996). Academic press and sense of community: Conflict, congruence, and implications for student achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 1, 47–68.
51.
ThorellL. B.RydellA. M. (2008). Behaviour problems and social competence deficits associated with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Effects of age and gender. Child: Care, Health, and Development, 34, 584–595.
52.
VahediS.FarrokhiF.FarajianF. (2012). Social competence and behavior problems in preschool children. Iran Journal of Psychiatry, 7, 126–134.
53.
VandenbergR. J.LanceC. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 3, 4–70.
54.
WelshM.ParkeR. D.WidamanK.O’NeilR. (2001). Linkages between children's social and academic competence: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of School Psychology, 39, 463–482.
55.
WidamanK. F.ThompsonJ. S. (2003). On specifying the null model for incremental fit indices in structural equation modeling. Psychological Methods, 8, 16–37.
56.
WigelsworthM.HumphreyN.KalanbookaA.LendrumA. (2010). A review of key issues in the measurement of children’s social and emotional skills. Educational Psychology in Practice, 26, 173–186.
57.
WilliamsK. L.GalliherR. V. (2006). Predicting depression and self–esteem from social connectedness, support, and competence. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25, 855–874.
58.
YoungstromE. A.LoeberR.Stouthamer-LoeberM. (2000). Patterns and correlates of agreement between parent, teacher, and male youth behavior ratings. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 1–13.
59.
ZinsJ.BloodworthM.WeissbergR.WalbergH. (2004). The scientific base linking social and emotional learning to school success. In ZinsJ.WeissbergR.WangM.WalbergH. J. (Eds.), Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? (pp. 1–22). New York, NY: Teachers Press, Columbia University.
