Reliability and validity of the Fear Survey Schedule for Infants-Preschoolers.

The aim of this research was to examine the reliability and validity of a new questionnaire to measure fears in young children. One hundred and thirty-three parents of children 18 months to 5 years of age completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Infants-Preschoolers (FSSIP). Parents and other caregivers were interviewed and completed questionnaires concerning child fearfulness, and child fearful behavior was observed. The FSSIP demonstrated high internal consistency, low-to-moderate test-retest correlations over an average of 6 months, and good convergent and discriminant validity. With further research, the FSSIP could aid in the investigation of the duration and consequences of fears in young children.