THE INTERPERSONAL DIFFICULTY SCALE FOR ADOLESCENTS: (EDIA): FACTORIAL STRUCTURE AND RELIABILITY

Abstract

This main aim of this research was to analyze the factor structure and reliability of the Escala de Dificultad Interpersonal para Adolescentes (EDIA), a new self-report developed to assess interpersonal difficulty in adolescence. The questionnaire was applied to a random sample of 841 high school students between the ages of 16 and 18. The scale consisted of 83 items and a 5-point rating-scale, from 0 = no difficulty to 4 = a lot of difficulty. The exploratory factor analysis isolated 5 factors: Street Situations, Family Relationships, Politeness, Peer Relationships, and Assertiveness, which accounted for the 41.30% variance. Internal consistency (.96) and test-retest reliability (.83), over a two-week interval, were high. Females presented greater interpersonal difficulty than males in street situations. No significant differences due to gender, age and gender x age were found. We conclude that the IDSA scores are reliable and valid to assess interpersonal difficulty in adolescence.