Development and validation of the stressful life events questionnaire (SVE-I) for Spanish children (8-12 years old).

Development and validation of the stressful life events questionnaire (SVE-I) for Spanish children (8-12 years old). The accumulation of Stressful Life Events (SVE) is a risk factor for mental health in childhood, however, there is no adequate questionnaire validated in Spanish for its use during childhood. This study presents the development and validation of a new scale (SVE-I), a self-report questionnaire for assessing the accumulation of SVE in Spanish children aged 8 to 12 years. A panel of experts evaluated the adequacy of the scale. The acceptability and understanding of the items were ensured by a small focus group. 504 children from four schools in Madrid (Mage = 10.1; SDage = 1.28; 56.5 % boys) participated in the study, completing a battery of questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a structure of three factors: (family stress, socio-school stress, and health), with an adequate internal consistency of the global scale (alpha = .83). For concurrent validity, a positive association was found between the accumulation of EVS and the anxious symptomatology of the children. The results indicate that the SVE-I is a valid and reliable instrument. This scale aims to be a useful tool in the school context and clinical practice.