title: Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and measurement error of the self-report version of the social skills rating system in a sample of Australian adolescents.
abstract: The social skills rating system (SSRS) is used to assess social skills and competence in children and adolescents. While its characteristics based on United States samples (US) are published, corresponding Australian figures are unavailable. Using a 4-week retest design, we examined the internal consistency, retest reliability and measurement error (ME) of the SSRS secondary student form (SSF) in a sample of Year 7 students (N = 187), from five randomly selected public schools in Perth, western Australia. Internal consistency (IC) of the total scale and most subscale scores (except empathy) on the frequency rating scale was adequate to permit independent use. On the importance rating scale, most IC estimates for girls fell below the benchmark. Test-retest estimates of the total scale and subscales were insufficient to permit reliable use. ME of the total scale score (frequency rating) for boys was equivalent to the US estimate, while that for girls was lower than the US error. ME of the total scale score (importance rating) was larger than the error using the frequency rating scale. The study finding supports the idea of using multiple informants (e.g. teacher and parent reports), not just student as recommended in the manual. Future research needs to substantiate the clinical meaningfulness of the MEs calculated in this study by corroborating them against the respective Minimum Clinically Important Difference (MCID).
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, Centre for Research into Disability and Society, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Sharmila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Anne Elizabeth
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Passmore
authors.forename: Pantelis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andreou
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Falkmer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1997 Mar;38(3):287-98
references.pmid: 9232475
references.citation: Sports Med. 2000 Jul;30(1):1-15
references.pmid: 10907753
references.citation: Clin Chem. 2004 Nov;50(11):2216-8
references.pmid: 15502104
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1987 Mar;101(2):213-32
references.pmid: 3562706
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000 Dec;68(6):1038-50
references.pmid: 11142538
references.citation: Behav Res Ther. 2005 Jun;43(6):733-46
references.pmid: 15890166
references.citation: Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Sep;84(9):719-23
references.pmid: 16141752
references.citation: J Behav Health Serv Res. 2002 May;29(2):208-16
references.pmid: 12032978
references.citation: Adolescence. 2006 Summer;41(162):369-89
references.pmid: 16981623
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002 May;156(5):438-47
references.pmid: 11980548
references.citation: J Clin Monit Comput. 2007 Dec;21(6):331-3
references.pmid: 17909978
references.citation: J Clin Psychol. 1988 Jul;44(4):477-90
references.pmid: 3049679
references.citation: Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Jul;22(1):85-93
references.pmid: 12858311
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1973 Dec;41(3):438-46
references.pmid: 4803276
references.citation: Control Clin Trials. 1989 Dec;10(4):407-15
references.pmid: 2691207
references.citation: Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2003 May;8(2):84-96
references.pmid: 32797550
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1999 Dec;67(6):905-16
references.pmid: 10596512
references.citation: BMJ. 1996 Sep 21;313(7059):744
references.pmid: 8819450
references.citation: BMJ. 1996 Jul 6;313(7048):41-2
references.pmid: 8664775
references.citation: Occup Ther Health Care. 2008;22(4):87-9
references.pmid: 23930766
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 2000 Apr;20(3):379-403
references.pmid: 10779900
references.citation: Qual Life Res. 2001;10(7):571-8
references.pmid: 11822790