Cross-cultural validity of a parent's version of the Dental Fear Survey Schedule for children in Chinese.

The cross-cultural validity of a parent's version of the Dental Fear Survey Schedule (DFSS) for children was assessed by examining the relationship between the parent's report of child fear in Chinese (DFSS) and actual child behavior (CB) in the dental environment for two samples: 70 Chinese children ages 5-15 yr, residing in Canada, and 99 mainland Chinese children ages 2.5-7.0 yr residing in Kunming, Yunnan, PRC Canadian DFSS score M = 31.9 (SD = 9.5) with no differences by age or sex. PRC DFSS score M = 35.7 (SD = 8.9) with girls reported more fearful than boys. No age difference was detected. Higher DFSS scores were associated with more CB in both samples. Factor analyses yielded similar solutions and internal consistency was high. Control and potential victimization were identified as important constructs. The results suggest the Chinese version of the DFSS is a reliable and valid parental measure of child dental fear.