Development of “My Experiences Scale” for Children and Adolescents in India

BACKGROUND: Experiences that a child or adolescent goes through play a critical role in their development as an individual. To understand the world of adolescents and their mental health and well-being, it would be important to be able to access their experiences. Therefore, an objective measure to assess experiences is necessary. The study aimed to develop a scale to assess experiences and establish their psychometric properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: My Experiences Scale (MES) is a newly developed 50-item, multiple-choice, self-report measure. Various steps involved in developing the MES and establishing its psychometric properties have been elaborated. The study was carried out across four phases, and the sample consisted of 1,260 school-going children and adolescents. The participants were representative of both genders, a wide age range, and diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. RESULTS: MES was found to have good internal consistency (Alpha 0.85) and test–retest reliability (0.96). MES was found to have significant correlations with Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and global self-worth. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed experiences scale shows promising psychometric properties and a wide scope for application.