EXPLORING THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF SOCIAL ANXIETY AND PEER VICTIMIZATION ITEMS AMONG A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS

Social anxiety and peer victimization are topics that have been researched among youth; however most research on these topics includes adolescent samples and few studies include younger children. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) is a nationally representative database that includes items measuring social anxiety, originally from the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised (SASC-R), and peer victimization, originally from the Illinois Bullying Scale (IBS), among younger children. However, there is a lack of research providing evidence of the psychometric properties of these shortened scales.

The current study explored the factor structure of the shortened scales using a sample of fifth grade students. The current study also explored the factor structure of the shortened scales separately by gender. Results indicated that the shortened scales are reliable and valid, as evidenced by the one-factor solution for the total sample and both genders for each construct. Thus, future research should utilize these shortened scales to explore the relationships among social anxiety and peer victimization with other factors available in the ECLS-K:2011 database. Furthermore, mental health practitioners may use these scales for early screenings of social anxiety and peer victimization among young children.