Testing factorial invariance and latent means differences of the school refusal assessment scale-revised in Ecuadorian adolescents

Abstract

School attendance problems imply a serious threat to a child’s academic, social and emotional development. The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (SRAS-R) in Ecuadorian adolescents. Participants were 1786 students (51% boys) aged 15 to 18 years (M = 16.31; SD = 1.01) randomly selected from 12 high schools located in different geographic zones of Quito (Ecuador). The measures used were the SRAS-R, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and the School Anxiety Inventory. Results supported the four-factor structure (I. Avoidance of Negative Affectivity, II. Escape from Social and/or Evaluative situations, III. Pursuit of Attention and IV. Pursuit of Tangible Reinforcement). This model remained invariant across gender and age and adequate levels of internal consistency were obtained for the factors (.77, .81, .75 and .71). Girls reported higher levels of Escaping from Social Evaluation than boys, and boys reported higher levels of Pursuing Tangible Reinforcements than girls. The oldest students (17–18 years) scored higher on Avoiding Negative Affectivity and Escape from Social or Evaluation situations than the younger students. Discriminant validity was examined and significant correlations with other measures were found. These findings provide initial support for the use of the SRAS-R as a measure to assess school refusal in Ecuadorian adolescents.