Development and Validation of Social Trust Scale for Chinese Adolescents (STS-CA)

Abstract

Social trust is a crucial factor influencing adolescents’ mental health and serves as a cornerstone for social stability. However, there is a lack of a reliable measurement tool specifically designed to assess the psychological characteristics of adolescents’ social trust. This study aimed to develop and validate the Chinese Adolescent Social Trust Scale (STS-CA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 adolescents (aged 12 to17 years) to generate an initial pool of scale items. Subsequently, eighteen psychological experts evaluated the content validity, and the scale was revised based on their feedback, resulting in a preliminary version. A total of 2036 secondary school students were randomly divided into Sample 1 and Sample 2. Sample 1 (N1 = 1018) was used in item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Sample 2 (N2 = 1018) was utilized for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sample 3 (N3 = 1214) was recruited to assess the scale’s reliability, validity, and measurement equivalence. Two months later, test–retest reliability analysis was assessed using Sample 4 (N4 = 303). The final STS-CA consists of 27 items covering four factors, namely trust in relatives, trust in friends, trust in strangers, and trust in organizations. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Correlations between the STS-CA subscale scores and external criterion variables—interpersonal trust, trust propensity, and life satisfaction—supported criterion validity. Additionally, the scale exhibited good measurement equivalence across gender and educational stages. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the STS-CA is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing social trust levels among Chinese adolescents.