Development and Validation of a Psychometric Scale for Genetically Influenced Behavioral Patterns in School-Aged Children: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a teacher-rated behavioral scale to identify behaviorally stable patterns in school-aged children that are conceptually grounded in behavioral genetics theory. The scale does not measure genetic variation, and no genetic or neurobiological data were collected. Using an instrument comprising 30 items aligned with the principles of behavioral genetics theory, data were collected from 124 teachers of kindergarten, primary, middle, and high school pupils in Riyadh. Using principal axis factoring with prompt rotation, exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure composed of 14 items assessing externalizing behavioral dysregulation, 9 items assessing attentional dysregulation, and 7 items assessing social withdrawal and anxiety that explained 69.55% of the variance. The internal consistency of the scale was strong (α = .959), whereas the sampling adequacy was strongly supported, with KMO= .92 and a significant Bartlett’s test (p < .001). According to the results of the ANOVA, educational level significantly differed: compared with primary and middle school pupils, kindergarten pupils scored higher. According to the regression analysis, educational level was the only significant predictor (B = -0.43, 95% CI [-0.77, -0.10], p = .012), although the model explained only 6.4% of the variance. Horn parallel analysis supported the factor retention. No evidence of convergent or discriminant validity was obtained, and furthermore, no content validity was quantified. The results therefore provide initial evidence of the internal structure and reliability of the scale within a Saudi sample rather than establishing it as a validated instrument.