Psychometric properties and clinical utility of the school refusal assessment scale in a multiethnic sample

Kearney and Silverman (1993) developed the School Refusal Assessment Scale (SRAS) to assess the function of and to prescribe treatment for school refusal behavior. The present investigation examined the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the SRAS in a multiethnic sample. Participants were 30 children and their mothers who were identified as school refusers after an initial screening. Results indicated that scales measuring negatively reinforced school refusal were intercorrelated, whereas scales measuring positively reinforced school refusal were not. Concurrent validity of dimensional and categorical scoring algorithms was examined. Although parent-child agreement was relatively low, validity analyses suggested that each reporter contributed important information. Clinical implications and areas for future research were discussed.