The development and psychometric validation of the Assessment of Sexual Behavior-Child version (ASB-C)

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Problematic sexual behavior (PSB) in preteen children is a growing public health issue with significant consequences.
• Current assessment tools lack grounding in contemporary research, hindering effective intervention and study.
• There is a critical need for reliable and valid measures to assess PSB in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the Assessment of Sexual Behavior-Child version, a caregiver-report instrument for measuring problematic sexual behavior (PSB) in preteen children.
• To establish the psychometric properties of the new assessment tool.
• To provide a reliable measure for both clinical and research applications concerning childhood PSB.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 38-item caregiver-report instrument, the Assessment of Sexual Behavior-Child version.
• Testing the instrument across three diverse samples: nationally representative (n=1,400), replication (n=271), and clinical (n=110).
• Psychometric analyses including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factor analysis, and convergent validity assessments.

Main Results:

• The Assessment of Sexual Behavior-Child version demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = .81–.85) and test-retest reliability (r = .90).
• Factor analyses supported a single primary scale, with 18 critical items identified for clearly problematic behaviors.
• Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations with an older PSB measure and related constructs (e.g., conduct problems).
• The clinical group scored significantly higher on the measure, supporting its construct validity.

Conclusions:

• The Assessment of Sexual Behavior-Child version exhibits acceptable psychometric characteristics for assessing problematic sexual behavior (PSB) in preteen children.
• The instrument is suitable for both clinical settings and research endeavors focused on childhood PSB.
• This validated tool addresses the need for contemporary assessment measures in the field of childhood problematic sexual behavior.