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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• Preschool children
• fear
• child development
• validation study