Pilot translation of the social skills improvement system questionnaire among Indian children

Abstract

Background Many developmental and mental disorders significantly impair the ability of children and adolescents to successfully function in society. Among several scales evaluating social performance, the Social Skills Improvement System by Gresham and Elliot evaluates the social functioning of children from ages 3 to 18 years. It has three forms per child - to be filled in by the child himself/herself, by the parent and the teacher. Each form has 75, 79, and 83 items, respectively, assessed on a four-point system. Methodology The present study aimed at translating and validating this scale on a small pilot sample of parents and child only (n = 21). The Cronbach alpha of the Hindi forms was estimated. Intraclass correlation between each item of the original and translated versions of the scale was examined. Results For the parent form, Cronbach alpha was 0.9, and for the student form, it was 0.8. The maximum correlation was present in the parent form (40% of items). Self-scoring forms by children correlated 23% of the time between the Hindi and English versions. Conclusion Significant correlation was not seen between the original and translated versions. Possible reasons are discussed.