Psychometric properties of the subjective health complaints for Chinese children: parent- and self-reports

Abstract

This study assessed the reliability and construct validity of the Chinese version of the subjective health complaints (SHCs) scale in children. A total of 851 children completed the self-reported subjective health complaints questionnaire (SHCs-C), and 572 parents completed the subjective health complaints questionnaire (SHCs-P), and reported well-being and depression of children using the Children’s Subjective Well-Being Scale and the Children’s Depression Inventory, respectively. After 2–3 weeks, 237 children and their fathers/mothers participated in a retest. We explored the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the SHCs-C and SHCs-P. The structure of the questionnaire was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling. The present study showed that the two-factor model (SHCs-Psycho and SHCs-somatic) fit the data better than the one-factor model. SHCs-C had the advantage of providing a better fit to the data than the one-factor model. Similarly, the SHCs-P scale of the two-factor CFA fit indices was better than that of the one-factor model. The Chinese version of the SHCs-P and SHCs-C had adequate internal reliability for the two dimensions (SHCs-Psycho and SHCs-somatic), with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.72–0.80, and with test-retest correlations of 0.57–0.79. The concurrent validity of the Chinese version of the SHCs-C was supported by significant correlations with depression (r = 0.29–0.52) and well-being (r = 0.17–0.46). The Chinese version of the SHCs-C had better adaptability than that of the original English version, but similar reliability coefficients and construct and convergent validity. The Chinese version of the SHCs-C showed acceptable psychometric properties to measure Chinese children’s personality.