An examination of the factor structure of the social skills rating system parent elementary form

Although previous studies have questioned the factor structure of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), it continues to be one of the most prominent measures used to assess child social skills. Previous examinations of the SSRS have been conducted on samples that differ demographically from the standardization sample. The present study presents a factor analysis of the SSRS parent elementary form, social skills domain, in a sample of 298 non-referred children. Similar to previous research, the factor structure proposed by the authors of the SSRS was not replicated. An alternative 2-factor model based on previous research also did not adequately fit the data. Other psychometric properties, such as the range of interitem correlations, were evaluated and did not meet suggested guidelines for test construction. Despite its psychometric difficulties, the SSRS was related to history of treatment for peer difficulties.