Development and validation of the brief self-control scale for children: Evidence from elementary and junior high students

Abstract

Tangney et al.’s (2004) Brief Self-Control Scale has been widely used in many languages, including Japanese. We developed and validated the Brief Self-Control Scale for Children (BSCS-C). Data came from 1,289 Japanese students in public elementary and junior high schools (691 boys and 598 girls; 633 students in grades 3–6 and 656 students in grades 7–8). Using a cross-validation procedure, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the one-factor structure of the BSCS-C. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the BSCS-C across gender and grade groups. Latent mean differences of the BSCS-C across the groups were small. The BSCS-C demonstrated the internal consistency, seven-month test-retest reliability, and correlations with conscientiousness, extraversion, and the number of behavioral problems.