Psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the Child Self-Report Playfulness questionnaire

Playfulness represents the disposition to play and has important mental health benefits. Children’s playfulness is mainly rated by parents, teachers or trained assessors but playfulness is not always reflected in overt behavior. Fortunately, even young children are able to provide a perspective on their playfulness, as illustrated by research with the Child Self-Report Playfulness questionnaire (CSRP). This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the CSRP. We included 332 children (M age = 5.43 years). Internal consistency of the Dutch version of the CSRP was suboptimal at first administration and acceptable during retest. Test–retest reliability (with an interval of 8 weeks) was adequate. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that a one-factor model fits the CSRP, which supports the idea that playfulness in young children is a unidimensional construct. Scores on the CSRP were not significantly correlated with scores on a parent-rated questionnaire and an observation tool measuring playfulness. Further research to discover how informant and administration discrepancies affect playfulness scores is warranted given this lack of convergence. Children’s self-perception of playfulness may complement more traditional measures such as parent reports in future research.