Social competence and behavior evaluation in children ages 3 to 6 years: The short form (SCBE-30).

The factor structure and scale characteristics of the shortened version ofthe Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale (SCBE; P. J. LaFreniere & J. E. Dumas, 1995) are presented for a Quebec sample and 3 U.S. samples, as well as age and gender differences in the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems and social competence throughout the preschool years. Principal-components analyses identified 3 factors in all 4 samples: social competence (SC); anger-aggression (AA); and anxiety-withdrawal (AW). Each 10-item scale was shown to have high interrater and test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and temporal stability over a 6-month period. Across all samples, boys were rated substantially higher on AA and lower on SC scales than girls, though no trends toward a sex difference in AW were evident. A stepwise progression in SC with increasing age was apparent in all samples. AA and AW behaviors showed a decline in the U.S., but not in the Quebec sample.