Reliability and validity of the youth asset survey (YAS).
OBJECTIVE
To describe the construction of a survey that was developed to measure youth assets. The paper details the ten youth developmental assets measures within the survey, including the psychometric properties of those measures derived from factor analysis and reliability testing.


METHODS
Three studies were conducted, including a study of 1,350 randomly selected youth (mean age = 15.4 years; 52% female; 47% white, 22% black, 19% Hispanic, 10% Native American), using in-person interviews, to develop an asset instrument tool. Factor analysis was performed on a correlation matrix, using principal axis factoring, and varimax rotation. The criteria were set to extract eight factors.


RESULTS
The eight factors extracted represented six developmental assets as originally defined, including Family Communication, Peer Role Models, Future Aspirations, Responsible Choices, Community Involvement, and Non-Parental Role Models. One asset (Constructive Use of Time) was split into two specific assets: groups/sports and religious time. Two assets did not form factors (Good Health Practices [exercise/nutrition] and Cultural Respect) and were defined as one-item assets. All factor loading scores were.40 or higher and all Cronbach alphas were.60 or higher.


CONCLUSIONS
Factor analyses suggest that the constructs are reliable measures of youth developmental assets. The psychometrically sound asset measures presented here will provide scientists with valid and reliable instruments to assess and compare the prevalence of youth assets across populations and to investigate potential relationships between youth assets and other outcomes, such as youth risk behaviors.
Oman
Roy F
RF
Department of Health Promotion Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104, USA. Roy-Oman@ouhsc.edu
Vesely
Sara K
SK
McLeroy
Kenneth R
KR
Harris-Wyatt
Vicki
V
Aspy
Cheryl B
CB
Rodine
Sharon
S
Marshall
Ladonna
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003710:Demography; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires