Cross-cultural validity of the scale for interpersonal behavior

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology

Background:

• The Scale for Interpersonal Behavior (SIB) is a 50-item measure assessing assertiveness difficulties and distress.
• It evaluates negative assertion, expressing limitations, initiating assertiveness, and positive assertion.
• The SIB was initially developed in the Netherlands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate the original factor structure of the SIB in an Italian student sample.
• To examine the internal consistency and convergent validity of the SIB scales in a new cultural context.
• To compare assertiveness levels between Italian and Dutch students.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis using the multiple group method.
• Tucker's coefficient of congruence (phi) was used to assess factor replicability.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and correlations with self-efficacy measures were analyzed.

Main Results:

• The four distress and four performance factors of the SIB were replicable in the Italian sample.
• SIB scales demonstrated good internal consistency and correlated with self-efficacy as predicted.
• Italian students reported significantly higher distress across all SIB scales compared to Dutch students.
• Italian students scored higher on positive assertion-performance than Dutch students, but comparable on other performance scales.

Conclusions:

• The SIB's factor structure is robust and replicable across different cultural contexts, specifically between the Netherlands and Italy.
• Cultural differences in assertiveness, particularly higher distress in Italy, may be linked to societal pressures related to masculinity norms.
• The SIB is a reliable and valid measure for assessing assertiveness difficulties and distress in diverse student populations.