Some psychometric properties of the school refusal assessment scale–revised: Parent and child version in Tanzanian context

Abstract

Considering the increase in primary and secondary school dropout rates worldwide, it is necessary to identify the underlying causes, particularly in places with high school refusal rates, such as Tanzania. Today, only a limited number of studies can explain, through valid and reliable measurements, why students in Tanzania refuse to attend school. The current study used confirmatory factor analysis techniques to investigate some psychometric properties of the child’s and parent’s versions of the School Refusal Assessment Scale–Revised (SRAS–R) in the Tanzanian population. Since previous studies found significant associations between the parent–child relationship and the risk of school refusal, we included the associations between the SRAS–R scales and measures of psychological control (parent ratings) and parent–child communication (child ratings) as external validity criteria. We collected data from five public primary schools, including 502 grades three to seven children with their parents (N = 465) in Ruvuma, Tanzania. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the four–factor model (avoidance of stimuli provoking negative affectivity, escape from aversive social situations, attention seeking, and tangible rewards) showed a good fit for both the parent and child versions of the SRAS–R. In line with expectations, we found a negative association between parent–child communication and school refusal and positive associations between the parent version of the SRAS–R subscales and the psychological control scale. The findings of this study support the use of this measurement in an African context and Tanzania specifically. The discussion stresses the appropriateness of Western cultural instruments in the African context.