[Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Child Version]

Objective: To translate and culturally adapt the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Child Version (PQ-BC) into Chinese and to evaluate its reliability and validity among primary and secondary school students. Methods: Following the Brislin translation model, the PQ-BC was translated, back-translated, and culturally adapted to develop the Chinese version. Using stratified cluster random sampling, students from ten primary and secondary schools across three regions in Jiangsu Province were selected between August and October 2024 to complete the Chinese PQ-BC, the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Item analysis was performed for the PQ-BC. Structural validity was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and criterion validity was assessed using the DASS-21 and SDQ. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and split-half reliability. Results: All item scores and distress scores of the PQ-BC were significantly positively correlated with their respective total scores (item score: r=0.345-0.668; distress score: r=0.337-0.668, all P<0.001). Exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure for both item and distress scores, explaining 70.2% and 69.5% of the variance, respectively. Both total scores and total distress scores were positively correlated with all factors of DASS-21 and SDQ (except prosocial behavior) (r=0.214-0.587, all P<0.001). Cronbach's α was 0.930 for symptom scores and 0.938 for distress scores, and split-half reliability coefficients were 0.932 and 0.942, respectively. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the PQ-BC demonstrates a stable one-factor structure with excellent reliability and validity in primary and secondary school students, supporting its use for early identification and stratified screening of psychotic-like experiences.