Convergent Validity of the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children with Three Self-Report Measures of Internalizing Problems

Abstract

Data that serve to support the convergent validity of the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC), a new child self-report measure for assessing internalizing symptoms, are presented. The results of three studies are presented, wherein ISSC scores were correlated with three established internalizing comparison measures: the Youth Self-Report, the Children's Depression Inventory, and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Correlations were in the desired direction and magnitude for demonstrating the convergent validity of the ISSC as a self-report measure of internalizing symptoms of children. Strong correlations were found between the ISSC and the Internalizing broad-band score of the Youth Self-Report, whereas moderate to moderately high correlations were found between the scores of the ISSC and those of the Children's Depression Inventory and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. The ISSC appears to measure the internalizing construct in children and to have promise as a research and clinical tool for use with children ages 8 to 12. Limitations of this investigation and implications for future research in this area are discussed.