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Sense of Safety
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About Sense of Safety
Scale Name
Sense of Safety
Author Details
David B. Henry (2000), adapted from Mary E. Schwab-Stone et al. (1995)
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Sense of Safety scale, developed by David B. Henry in 2000 and adapted from the Social and Health Assessment (SAHA) by Mary E. Schwab-Stone et al. (1995), is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure feelings of safety at home, in or on the way to school, and in the neighborhood among students in grades 1-8 (ages 6-14). Originally part of the SAHA, a comprehensive survey assessing risk and protective factors in urban youth, the scale was refined by Henry for use in violence exposure and school climate research. Published in studies linked to urban school interventions, it aligns with ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), emphasizing the role of environmental contexts in shaping psychological well-being, and draws on research linking perceived safety to academic and mental health outcomes (Schwab-Stone et al., 1995; Milam et al., 2010).
The scale comprises 6 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (e.g., 1 = “never” to 4 = “always”), assessing perceived safety across three domains: home, school (including in-school and commuting), and neighborhood (e.g., “I feel safe at home” or “I feel safe walking to school”). Scores are summed or averaged (range: 6-24 or 1-4), with higher scores indicating greater feelings of safety. Validated in urban elementary and middle school samples, the scale is used to identify environmental risk factors, evaluate school safety interventions, and study the impact of perceived safety on academic engagement and mental health.
Psychologists, educators, and public health researchers use the Sense of Safety scale to assess safety perceptions, inform school climate policies, and explore links between safety and outcomes like anxiety or academic performance. Its high internal consistency and broad age range make it robust, though its English-only primary use, urban focus, and reliance on self-reports may limit generalizability.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the Sense of Safety scale from authorized sources, such as Henry (2000) or Schwab-Stone et al. (1995) in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Vol. 34, pp. 1343-1352), or archives like the CDC’s Youth Violence Compendium (Dahlberg et al., 2005), ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses how safe they feel in different places to improve school and community environments, emphasizing confidentiality and using age-appropriate, trauma-sensitive language.
- Provide instructions, asking students to rate each of the 6 items based on how often they feel safe in the specified settings, using the 4-point scale. For grades 1-3, simplify language or use oral administration.
- Approximate time for completion is 3-5 minutes, depending on age and reading ability.
- Administer in a classroom or research setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private, supportive environment. Oral administration or visual aids (e.g., smiley faces) may be used for younger students or those with reading difficulties.
Reliability and Validity
The Sense of Safety scale demonstrates strong psychometric properties, as reported in Henry (2000). Internal consistency is high, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89, indicating excellent item cohesion across home, school, and neighborhood domains. Test-retest reliability is not explicitly reported, but stability is inferred to be moderate to high based on similar safety perception scales (e.g., r ≈ 0.70-0.80 over weeks).
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as lower exposure to community violence (r ≈ -0.30 to -0.50) and higher school connectedness (r ≈ 0.30-0.40), and its association with academic achievement (Milam et al., 2010). Discriminant validity is inferred from weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as academic self-efficacy (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is demonstrated by its ability to predict mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression) and academic performance, with safer perceptions linked to better outcomes, consistent with school climate research (Nijs et al., 2014). Factor analyses are not detailed, but the scale’s multi-context focus supports construct validity, aligning with ecological models. The high reliability makes it a robust tool, though it should be paired with objective safety measures for comprehensive assessments.
Available Versions
11-Items
Reference
Dahlberg, L. L., Toal, S. B., Swahn, M. H., & Behrens, C. B. (2005). Measuring violence-related attitudes, behaviors, and influences among youths: A compendium of assessment tools. Centers for disease control and prevention.
Schwab-Stone, M. E., Ayers, T. S., Kasprow, W., Voyce, C., Barone, C., Shriver, T., & Weissberg, R. P. (1995). No safe haven: A study of violence exposure in an urban community. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34(10), 1343-1352.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Sense of Safety scale measure?
It measures feelings of safety at home, in school, and in the neighborhood.
Who can use the scale?
Psychologists, educators, and researchers studying safety in urban students.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 3-5 minutes.
Is the scale specific to certain grades?
Yes, it targets grades 1-8 in urban settings.
Can the scale inform school safety programs?
Yes, it identifies safety concerns with high reliability, but should be used with other measures.
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