The present study examined the construct validity of three subscales from the Culture-free Self-esteem Inventory for Children (Battle, 1981). Subjects were 62 youth who participated in a local community social-service program between 1981 and 1985. Three subscales (Academic, Parent, and Social) of the inventory were compared with data recorded in case files. Data in the case files were quantified into scales according to the frequency and intensity of target behaviors derived from the literature. Correlation between scores on the inventory subscales and on the corresponding constructed scales were –.49, –.46, and –.11 for the academic, parent, and social dimensions, respectively. Correlations among the three subscales of the inventory and the noncorresponding constructed scales were all nonsignificant, giving support for discriminant validity among the subscales.
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