The Self-Perception Profile for Children: further evidence for its factor structure, reliability, and validity

Abstract

This article presents further evidence for the psychometric qualities of the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), a widely used questionnaire for assessing self-esteem in youths. The SPPC was administered to a large sample of Dutch school children (N=1143) in order to study its factor structure, reliability (internal consistency and test–retest stability), and validity. Results showed that the hypothesized factor structure of the SPPC representing five specific domains of self-esteem (i.e. scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, and behavioral conduct) provided a reasonable fit for the data. Furthermore, the reliability of the scale appeared to be satisfactory with good internal consistency and test–retest stability. Finally, evidence was also obtained for the validity of the SPPC. More specifically, the scale correlated in a theoretically meaningful way with child-, parent-, and teacher-reports of psychopathology and personality. Altogether, the current findings confirm the notion that the SPPC is a reliable and valid self-report measure for assessing children's self-esteem.

Introduction

Self-esteem refers to an individual's feelings of his or her worthiness and competence. Harter (1999) views self-esteem as an evaluative aspect of the self-system which is related to the image of an ideal self that we all have: when there is little discrepancy between the ideal and the perceived real self, the individual will experience high self-esteem. However, when the discrepancy is great, low self-esteem is the result. Self-esteem can be considered as an individual difference variable of which the foundation is layed in middle childhood when children develop the ability to compare themselves with peers (Ruble, Boggiano, Feldman, & Loebl, 1980). As a result of this comparison, children increasingly realize how they stand relative to their peers in various domains of functioning (school, sports, social relationships), and accordingly adjust their level of self-esteem.

Self-esteem is generally regarded as an important index of children's well-being and mental health. High self-esteem has been linked to satisfaction and happiness in later life, while low self-esteem is associated with depression, anxiety, and maladjustment both in school and social relationships (see for a review Harter, 1993). For this reason, reliable and valid measures of self-esteem are considered as useful for research, clinical, and educational practices.

The most widely used questionnaire for assessing self-esteem in youths is the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC; Harter, 1985). The SPPC evaluates self-esteem in five domains: scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, and behavioral conduct, as well as global self-worth. The psychometric properties of the SPPC have been examined in various studies, the results of which can be summarized as follows. To begin with, factor analysis of the SPPC has generally indicated that the questionnaire consists of five factors that correspond with the hypothesized domains of self-esteem (Boivin et al., 1992, Granleese and Joseph, 1993, Granleese and Joseph, 1994, Miller, 2000, Schumann et al., 1999, Van den Bergh and Marcoen, 1999, Van den Bergh and Van Ranst, 1998, Veerman et al., 1996). Furthermore, the internal consistency and test–retest stability of the SPPC scales can be defined as satisfactory (e.g. Granleese and Joseph, 1994, Van Dongen-Melman et al., 1993). Finally, evidence has been obtained for the validity of the SPPC. More specifically, SPPC scores correlate positively with peer-, teacher-, and parent-ratings of children's competence (e.g. Cole et al., 2001, Van den Bergh and Marcoen, 1999) and negatively with levels of psychopathological symptoms (e.g. Alatorre Alva and De los Reyes, 1999, Cole et al., 1999, Compas et al., 1991, Evans et al., 1994). Moreover, lowered levels of SPPC-assessed self-esteem have been found in clinically referred children and adolescents suffering from disruptive and emotional disorders (e.g. Dumas and Pelletier, 1999, Renouf et al., 1997).

While the earlier mentioned studies all provide support for the psychometric qualities of the SPPC, a comprehensive research article on the reliability and validity of this questionnaire is still missing in the literature. The current study was an attempt to fill up this gap. The SPPC was administered to a large sample of Dutch school children (N=1143) in order to study the following issues. (1) The factor structure of the questionnaire was re-examined using confirmatory factor analysis. (2) The reliability (internal consistency and test–retest stability) of the scale was further investigated. (3) The validity of the SPPC was established through its associations with measures of psychopathology and personality. With respect to the latter issue, it is important to note that data were used from different informants viz children themselves, parents, and teachers.