Fears in preschoolers: translation, reliability and validity of the Fear Survey Schedule for Infant-Preschoolers (RSSIP) - Brazilian version

Abstract

Objective To translate the Fear Survey Schedule for Infants-Preschoolers (FSSIP) into Brazilian Portuguese and to examine its reliability and validity for assessing fears among Brazilian preschoolers. Methods Two independent bilingual professionals conducted translation and back-translation of the original survey. The translated version was used to assess 152 preschool children divided in two groups: Clinical - 71 children referred for treatment for nighttime fear, and Control - 81 children enrolled at kindergarten who had not been referred for any mental health service in the previous 6 months. All parents filled out the FSSIP, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1.5-5), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.949 (95% CI: 0.94-0.96) for the entire sample; 0.948 (95% CI: 0.93-0.96) for the Clinical Group, and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.96) for the Control Group. The mean score for fears was higher in the clinical group (60.19 vs. 51.53, t = -2.056; p = 0.042), indicating acceptable discriminate validity. We also found positive, moderate, and statistically significant correlations between FSSIP and most CBCL scores, indicating good convergent validity. Conclusion The Brazilian Portuguese version of the FSSIP showed good psychometric properties, and hence may be used in research and clinical settings to evaluate fears in preschoolers.

Association between fears and behavior/ emotional problems in toddlers and preschoolers

“…The Brazilian version of the FISSIP, used to assess children's fears, was in the process of validation in Brazil during this study; thus, the parameters used for the classification of fears (low, medium, and high fears) are those found for the present sample. Still, it should be noted that the translation of the instrument into Brazilian Portuguese followed the recommended practices and that the internal consistency estimates of these measures were generally adequate in our Brazilian sample (ROCHA et al, 2021).…”

“…The FSSIP, developed byWarren, Olledick, and Simmens (2008), has shown high internal consistency and good convergent and discriminant validity with English-speaking caregivers. The Brazilian version was validated byRocha et al (2021), with Cronbach's alpha = 0,948 and good convergent validity.Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1,5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5):Achenbach and Rescorla (2001) developed it to obtain standardized measures of emotional/ behavioral problems in preschool children based on parental reports. The CBCL is widely used and possesses well-established psychometric properties(ACHEN- BACH;RESCORLA, 2001).…”