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

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.